Four workers tried to shatter the glass tiles with sledgehammers but only manage a few cracks
China, home to several architectural marvels, particularly takes pride in its glass bridges and skywalks that it has spent millions on in the last few years. The latest one is set to open to public in February in Hechi City in south China and is touted to be their longest ever.
With just days to go for the opening, workers have been busy running last-minute safety checks on the structure.
How?
By trying to shatter it with sledgehammers.
In a video posted by CGTN, workers tried to smash the glass bridge with sledgehammers to ensure the bridge is strong enough. Although the glass tiles didn't collapse but the sledgehammers managed to make a few cracks in the glass.
To be doubly sure, workers also jumped up and down on the glass tiles, all with a big smile on their face.
Said to be China's longest, the skywalk is over 600 feet in length and is suspended nearly 900 feet in the sky. It opens to public on February 8.
Watch the nerve-racking footage: In a similar exercise in 2016, officials
invited members of the public to smash a glass bridge with sledgehammers, in order to alleviate their fears about stepping foot on the suspended transparent structure. Roughly 30 visitors were invited to the Zhangjiajie bridge in China's Hunan province to try to break the glass. After the tourists were done having a go at it with hammers, an SUV weighing two tonnes and 11 passengers drove over the glass panels. Fortunately, the bridge didn't collapse.
In 2015, a stainless steel tumbler that fell from a height managed to crack one of the glass panels sending people running and holding onto railings for safety. Authorities say even if the glass cracks, it it safe for pedestrians to walk on it as the bridges usually have multiple layers of glass that remain intact even if the top layer is cracked.Click for more
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