Admire The World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge In Portugal

A new pedestrian bridge suspended 175m above the rocky gorge embracing the Paiva River opened in Portugal this week, and it is currently the longest pedestrian suspension bridge.

With a length of 516m, Arouca 516 has overshadowed the record-keeping bridge, Charles Kounen suspension bridge 494m long on the Swiss Alps. Arouca 516 stretches through the Arouca Geopark recognized by UNESCO. The steel construction is located in an 8km stretch of the famous canyon with wooden passages, adding another option for brave adventurers to experience this beautiful view.

Construction of the bridge was in charge of Itecons, Conduril - Engenharia SA, and the Portuguese National Civil Engineering Laboratory. Structurally, it consists of two large V-shaped concrete towers on either side of a valley, supporting the bridge. This includes 127 steel sections that are held in place with steel cables.

According to the team, it took several months of careful calculation to ensure the cable could withstand the wind, with a lot of tests being carried out in a wind tunnel. The project costs 2.1 million euros and was first conceived in 2016. After that, construction began in 2018 and the bridge was finally completed by the end of 2020.