- A new pedestrian suspension bridge called '516 Arouca' has opened in the Arouca Geopark of northern Portugal and claims to be the longest in the world.
- It was built by the Institute for Research and Technological Development for Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability to attract tourists to the Arouca area.
- The bridge has been described as 'iconic' and a 'modern landmark' by Arouca's mayor.
A pedestrian suspension bridge that claims to be the longest in the world, named 516 Arouca and measuring 516 metres in length, has opened in northern Portugal.
Built in the Arouca Geopark, the bridge is suspended 175 metres above the Paiva river and links two hills with granite cliff faces.
Have you read?
The bridge was built by the Institute for Research and Technological Development for Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability as a tourist attraction for the Arouca area, providing views across the Pavia Gorge and toward the nearby Aguieiras Waterfall.
It is located next to the Paiva Walkways, an eight-kilometre-long trail that winds through the Arouca hills.
"A remarkable work of national engineering and will certainly be one of the most iconic structures in the municipality of Arouca and in the country and that will surely become a landmark of modernity," said Arouca's mayor Margarida Belém.
The structure is now Europe's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, surpassing Switzerland's 494-metre Charles Kuonen Bridge, which was completed in 2017.
The developers believe that the bridge is also the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, although the 567-metre Baglung Parbat Footbridge in Nepal also claims the title.
However, the Nepalese crossing is a "simple" or catenary suspension bridge, featuring a deck supported by, and following the same curve as, free-hanging cables.
By contrast, a regular suspension bridge, like the Portuguese one, features a deck supported by cables slung from elevated towers. The deck and cables follow different curves.
"It is the largest in the world, as we always said," said a representative for the Portuguese local authority. "With 516 meters in length, [and] an altitude from the water level of 175 meters, [it is] the highest in terms of construction and with more capacity."
Concrete towers in the form of inverted A-shapes mark the landing points of the bridge and support two steel suspension cables, known as tensile cables, that support the steel walkway.
What is the World Economic Forum doing to champion social innovation?
Social innovators address the world’s most serious challenges ranging from inequality to girls’ education and disaster relief that affect all of us, but in particular vulnerable and excluded groups. To achieve maximum impact and start to address root causes, they need greater visibility, credibility, access to finance, favourable policy decisions, and in some cases a better understanding of global affairs and access to decision makers.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is supporting more than 400 late-stage social innovators. By providing an unparalleled global platform, the Foundation’s goal is to highlight and expand proven and impactful models of social innovation. It helps strengthen and grow the field by showcasing best-in-class examples, models for replication and cutting-edge research on social innovation.
Meet the World-changers: Social Innovators of the Year 2020. Our global network of experts, partner institutions, and World Economic Forum constituents and business members are invited to nominate outstanding social innovators. Get in touch to become a member or partner of the World Economic Forum.
The suspension cables were fitted to the two highest points of the concrete towers and tied to the walkway decks with vertical cables.
The walkway was built as a collection of 127 interlocking metal-gridded decks that function as individual cells and are each connected to the suspension cables at two points.
