The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge with a glass ramp in Arizona near the Colorado River on the edge of a valley side in the Grand Canyon West area of ​​the main valley. The USGS topographic map shows the altitude at the Skywalk location as 4,770 ft (1,450 m) and the elevation of the Colorado River at the base of the canyon as 1,160 feet (350 m), and they show that the exact vertical drop height directly below the skywalk is between 500 ft (150 m) and 800 ft (240 m).
Assigned and owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe, it was inaugurated March 20, 2007, and opened to the public on March 28, 2007. It is accessed via Grand Canyon West Airport or a 120 mile (190 km) drive from Las Vegas. Skywalk is east of Meadview and north of Peach Springs with Kingman being the nearest town with several sizes.
Video Grand Canyon Skywalk
Design and construction Edit
David Jin, an entrepreneur who has been involved with tourism and State Hualapai for some time, has the idea of ​​expanding the platform over the edge of the Grand Canyon. With the help of architect Mark Ross Johnson, the idea evolved into a rectangular road and finally the now-built "U" path.
The overall Skywalk width is 65 feet (20 m). The length of the Skywalk extends out from the nearest supporting post to the canyon wall is 70 feet (21 m). The outer and inner 32-inch-wide (810 mm) with 72-inch-in (1,800 mm) box beams supported by eight 32-by-32-inch (810 mm ÃÆ'-Ã, 810 mm) post posts has four posts on each side of the visitor center, once completed. The eight posts are anchored in pairs into four large concrete foundations which are in turn tethered to bedrock by ninety-six 2 1 / 2 -inch-diameter (64 mm) DYWIDAG (pronounced acronym Doo-Wee-Dag) high-strength threaded steel anchor stone rock grouting 46 feet (14 m) deep into the rock.
The Skywalk deck has been made with four low-glazed Saint-Gobain Diamant glass panels with DuPont SentryGlas interlayer. The deck width is 10 feet 2 inches (3.10 m). Skywalk glass ceilings are made with the same glass as the deck, but fewer layers (two) are bent following the path curves. The glass sidings are 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) tall and have been designed for high wind pressure.
The Skywalk Deck is designed for a 100-pound-per-square-foot live load (490 kg/mÃ,²) along with the required seismic and wind power codes. The Foundation can withstand an 8.0 magnitude quake within a 50 mile (80 km) radius. Fine-tuning of the project takes place after an analysis of wind-induced wind and pedestrian vibrations. Two adjusted mass silencers are installed inside the outer box beam and one inside the inner beam inside the furthest extension of the Skywalk to reduce pedestrian pedestrian vibrations. The road can carry 822 people weighing 200 pounds (91 kg) each without overstress, but maximum occupancy at one time is 120 people.
Skywalk mounted over the canyon wall in accordance with its final placement and moved to the last position by jack and roll rig. The Skywalk infrastructure itself weighs a little over 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) without counterweights but includes a tuned mass silencer, hardware fence, glass rail, glass deck and steel box beam. At launch, the Skywalk weighs about 1.6 million pounds (730,000 kg). This process is completed in two days.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and John Herrington attended the opening ceremony on March 20, 2007.
A National Geographic documentary on the construction of the Skywalk has been published.
Maps Grand Canyon Skywalk
Cornerstone from a larger plan Edit
According to Hualapai officials, the cost of the Skywalk is $ 30 million. Future plans for the Grand Canyon Skywalk complex include museums, cinemas, VIP rooms, souvenir shops, and several restaurants including an upscale restaurant called The Skywalk Cafà © à © where visitors will be able to dine outdoors on the canyon's lips. The Skywalk is a stepping-stone of a larger plan by the Hualapai tribe, which is expected to be a catalyst for the construction of an area of ​​9,000 acres (36 km km) called the Grand Canyon West; it will open a stretch of 100 miles (160 km) along the South Rim gorge and include hotels, restaurants, golf courses, casinos and cable cars to transport visitors from the edge of the canyon to the Colorado River, which was previously inaccessible.
Controversy Edit
Hualapai Edit
Opponents in the tribe see this project as an annoying holy land. Supporters at the tribal counter that it is a much-needed cash-generating opportunity to address the serious problems that plague the 2,000 population reservation, including 50% unemployment rate, widespread alcoholism, and poverty. Other tribal members are happy with the Skywalk, but they have expressed concern over future development. They are also concerned about the potential for a lack of sustainability because the water used in the construction is not taken from the Colorado River but is transported by truck from elsewhere. Effective February 7, 2012 Certain members of the Hualapai Tribune Council, without prior notice, master the Skywalk built and previously run by Grand Canyon Skywalk Development (GCSD), a Las Vegas, Nevada company. Currently Grand Canyon Skywalk Development is not responsible for daily operations at Skywalk. GCSD was awarded $ 28 million in damages by the arbitration council, enforced in US District Court in February 2013.
Environmental watchers Edit
Out-of-tribal people, including the Arizona environmental group and former National Park officials, have expressed concern about project obstruction in the natural environment, deeming it a vitiation of national property. The former Grand Canyon National Park overseer Robert Arnberger has described the development as "the equivalent of an upscale carnival ride," adding that he can not solve a "clear conflict between claims tribes that often state that there are no better caregivers and maids than the Grand Canyon rather than tribes, and their approach to the ground - based on heavy use and the economy. "Tribal leaders state that 4.5 million people per year who visit the Park section have already burdened an area and, furthermore, that the tribe needs financial revenues. Skywalk attracts 370,000 reported visitors per year and tribal fees for side-rim weddings and stepping stunts, including one by Robbie Knievel. The tribe did plunge into opening the casino but not yet able to generate enough income.
Access and protection Edit
Access to the Skywalk can be made from Las Vegas, Nevada in the north or Kingman, Arizona to the south, via Highway 93. The route meets (on CR 7/Buck and Doe Rd) near Diamond Bar Road, which is being built as December 7, 2009. At the Diamond Bar Road consists of 10 miles (16 km) of gravel and unmanned dirt roads.
There are several packages available for purchase at the airport terminal visitors center. Each package includes parking at the terminal and shuttle bus transportation to two beautiful view areas, and Hualapai Ranch. By 2015, the last 9 miles (14 km) of district-managed roads to tourist attractions have been paved and now accessible to everyone. In addition to admission, visitors can purchase professional photographs of their visit to the Skywalk at the gift shop, since private cameras are not allowed on the Skywalk itself. Together with other private properties, they must be stored in a locker before entering the Skywalk.
References Edit
External links Edit
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments