World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Switzerland

The world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge opened in Switzerland on Sunday, a ribbon-thin span nearly a third of a mile long that challenges hikers to proceed in places at nearly 28 stories above ground.

Officials in the south of Switzerland unveiled the bridge after just 10 weeks of construction. It measures 1,620 feet long and rises as high as 278 feet above the Grabengufer ravine. The span is also impossibly narrow, at just 25.6 inches wide.

The new bridge replaces one that was damaged by rock falls, the BBC reported. The steel structure connects two sections of a trail between Grächen and Zermatt, a popular two-day hike.

The local tourist authority warns that the high bridge is “for hikers with no fear of heights.” The bridge completes a section of the Europaweg trail, a high-altitude hiking route that offers views of some of Switzerland’s highest peaks, including the Matterhorn.

The 494-metre bridge offers stunning views – just don’t look down

It’s part of a 13 mile hiking route connecting Zermatt and Grächen

It’s a replacement for another bridge which was damaged by rock falls, the BBC reports.

But while it’s reportedly the longest, it’s not the highest – as another bridge in Reutte, Austria hangs 110m higher above ground.

The Europabrücke is part of a two-day hiking route from Zermatt to Grächen, about 13 miles north.

But hikers don’t need to worry about the huge bridge swinging , as the Zermatt Tourist Board says it’s been fitted with a system which prevents that.

Originally published on The Sun