Well, that's one way to ruin the beauty of the natural landscape.

I hope they keep some large squeegees handy

There's a museum in Montreal where, on the roof, a 5' triangle of steel mesh holds you out over the concrete 5 stories below. It took some courage to step out on the thing and look down and see past your feet to the ground far below.

Now, I'm not much for a fear of heights. I climbed Halfdome and hung my feet over the thousands-of-feet drop, but there's something about it being man-made, and the feeling of suspension, that really messes with you.

I've been working as a structural engineer for about two years now, and after looking at the pics at http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/construction.html , I'd be comfortable walking out on this thing with an elephant sitting on my shoulders. Heck, I'd even venture out with a couple dozen of the typical "fat American tourist" types with no worries.

The only potential for disaster would be the rock of the cliff rejecting its new appendage and spewing it out into the canyon, kind of like when you put one of those coconut dum-dums in your mouth without reading the label.

It's gotta be one hell of a lightning rod too...

Built by drunken Indians - not on your life!

The glass is there so you can see people pissing themselves from the bottom of the canyon.

That would make the grand canyon actually worth going to!

Not a chance you're getting me out on that thing.

I trust the engineering. It's the stupid prank that some dumb tourist is going to try to pull that will kill a few people along with them that I don't like the idea of.

As for smokeydog001's comment- I'm guessing with that kind of bigotry they have never left their own small town, and still fear climbing the water tower.

From wishnias
The only potential for disaster would be the rock of the cliff rejecting its new appendage and spewing it out into the canyon...

I read somewhere that they actually EXPECT the rock to gradually wear away until eventually the supports for the walkway can't support it anymore. The grand canyon is, after all, still changing -- wind, water, etc. constantly erode the canyon walls. The owners estimate it'll take over 100 years for the walkway to no longer be functional...but some say that by drilling and putting thermally conductive supports down into the rock, they'll subject it to more thermal cycling than usual, and the walkway won't be sound after 20-25 years.

I guess the "100 years" estimate is based on the natural wear patterns...but the 20-25 years thing makes the idea a bit iffy for me. I might be confident going out on the walkway when it was new, but around the 15 year mark I might think about staying on solid ground instead. Or just taking a crude home-made parachute with me :).

I was there in January of this year. From the looks of things it will take years before any tourists will set foot on the bridge. That said it seems 100% safe and the scenery around it is breathtaking. I'd recommend anyone visiting Vegas to rent a car and drive out to the West Rim. Spectacular, Skywalk or not.

mor10

I dont think this structure will ruin a beauty of the grand canyon...it will just provide a excellent way to view it...other then a rather spendy helicopter ride.

I first saw a picture of this last year in Popsci...and have been wanting to walk on it wver since...I think it looks great.

In the Skytower in Auckland, New Zealand, there's a glass section in the floor, about 200 metres up, which is fun to stand on, taking photographs of your feet, etc.

One of the elevators also has a glass floor. The elevators move really, really fast too, so when you stand on the glass floor and look down, it feels like you're Superman taking off.

I reckon I'd totally love strolling and jumping up and down on the Grand Canyon walkway, unlike you, Brian Lam, you big girl. :-)

desimal says:
The glass is there so you can see people pissing themselves from the bottom of the canyon.

This very moment, someone, somewhere, is buying a digital SLR, a loooong lens, and the domain GrandCanyonGoldenUpskirtShowers.com because of that comment.

Wow, and I thought the glass floor of the CN Tower was scary. No way you'd get me out there. I trust engineering... its my mind I don't trust.

Preservationists can stop panicking. It's not going to have much of an impact on the view from other places. The Grand Canyon is thousands of feet deep and miles wide; this sticks out about 70 feet.

The best part of the design is the barf bag holders all along the railing. I'm sure people on the canyon floor or rafting will appreciate it.

DirkusMaximus says:

This very moment, someone, somewhere, is buying a digital SLR, a loooong lens, and the domain GrandCanyonGoldenUpskirtShowers.com because of that comment.

So you just bought those, eh? Looking forward to seeing your new site (if you get past the police and the FCC first). XD

It's the stupid prank that some dumb tourist is going to try to pull that will kill a few people along with them that I don't like the idea of.

i'm thinking taking a couple of laps in a go-kart for some reason.

"faith in engineering...." That's the same kind of crap they said about Titanic, grow up already! ;)

I can see some 13 year old standing at the far end of this thing jumping up and down as hard as he can... it wiggles the slightest and everyone runs off of the thing, haha.

smokeydog001

Good things come from drunks. Just ask your parents when they made you.

and 90 tons of tempered glass

Does it really need to be tempered? I mean, I think if the glass breaks, there are more things to be worried about, than if you would be impaled by a shard of glass...actually, I might rather be impaled instead, at that point.

My dad actually used to be the project manager for this job. I helped him set up wind sensors to prepare for the engineering. We were surprised that wind comes up from the canyon floor at about 100 mph. The owner of this project is an idiot. My dad refused to push the skywalk out over the cliff until the backer purchased insurance. The backer refused, so my dad backed out of the project. The construction company that is in charge of it now is a little mickey mouse organization that has no idea what it is doing. The skywalk would be done by now if it weren't for the changing of construction companies. Funny stuff.

Anyhow, the top layer of glass on the walkway is a thin sheet that will be replaced every few weeks. I have all sorts of pictures of me standing on the walkway. It is pretty impressive. I was their tech guy, hooking up their satellite internet and simple stuff. I was there when they were running ultrasound on the steel to make sure there are no fractures.

Okay, where did I put my fake "cracked glass" stickers!

I say a few of these on the bottom glass ought to make life interesting...

...you gotta be shittin' me. I wonder if the potential for disaster is greater in a helicopter ride through the canyon, or a bunch of idiots jumping up and down on this thing. I'll take the helicopter ride, thank you. 4000 feet is a long way to fall. You might have time to call home and say goodbye before you splat.

Mixed feelings about this one. On one hand the Grand Canyon needs nothing to spruce it up, and adding this will take away some of its natural beauty, however I must also agree it would be cool once its built. My third thought is simply this, in a time when we are trying to be more and more careful not to let terrorists or nut jobs have any more opportunity than necessary, what makes balancing a gigantic form of steel and glass and then parading thousands of unsuspecting tourists out on to it seem like its smart idea?

I think that this thing is engineered above and beyond most bridges honestly so it should be extremely safe.

However, I read that it is on part of an indian reservation. What makes me second guess going on something like this is the fact that the reservations basically don't have to pay attention to state and federal law as it pertains to bridge inspection, etc. So how do we know that this thing will be maintained properly? Sure, the indians obviously want to continue to draw tourism so they may have a vested interest in keeping it safe, but if that is the only incentive (profit) then I doubt that it is enough to maintain safety.

Also, this would be the ultimate way to commit suicide.

@matthew:

That Skytower glass-bottom elevator is great. Both the glass skywalk and that elevator might be a bit sadistic for those with acrophobia or vertigo, though.

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=D05A38288A2111DBB38D266C9A2...

I hope those glass barriers are sufficiently high to stop people jumping off. Else this thing will just become the new Golden Gate Bridge -- an iconic means to an end.

Ideally make it safe for Jon Doe, but "accessible" to BASE jumpers... then again, I guess those guys don't really need much help anyway :)

Also, why no built-in bungee jumping platform at the tip? If it were in New Zealand it would have one I bet!

I agree where is the bungee and sling shot?

Those Kiwi's know how to blend nature and fun together, without ruining things.

4000 feet... Coool. Awesome launch point. Beats going all the way to Baffin Island. Crappy winds though make BASE kinda difficult.

You can all forget about taking your cameras on the Skywalk, it's not allowed.

It's stated in the FAQ on the Skywalks Official site, www.grandcanyonskywalk.com

Question:Is it true that we cannot bring a camera on the Skywalk?

Answer: Yes, you cannot bring a camera or any personal belongings with you on the Skywalk. Although someone can take a picture of you on the Skywalk.

can't take pictures?well thats kind of stupid!
for those who say it's an eyesore, I was at the canyon hiking extensively in November and had no idea it was there, never saw it or heard it mentioned , the canyon is collosal, I was probably hiking thirty miles from that thing, who knows? I was down in the village, no idea where that things is??wish I did because it would be very cool to experience. brilliant for someone dissabled who couldn't hike down,in wheelchair for example.