[imagesource: Reuters / Violeta Santos Moura]

Hold up Charles Kuonen Bridge at Randa in the Swiss Alps because there’s a new record for the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge and it’s not you.

The longest suspension bridge is now Arouca 516. It spans 516 metres and hangs 175 metres above the river Paiva in the north of Portugal.

The bridge took two whole years to build and is finally open to the public.

Hanging from within the Unesco-recognised Arouca Geopark, the locals hope that it will attract more tourists and revitalise the area after the industry took a hard knock during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Via The Guardian, the mayor of Arouca, Margarida Belem, told AFPTV that the bridge was a “fundamental attraction” for the region, saying “the inauguration is important because it will enable us to resume our tourist activities”.

A local tour guide named Emanuel also has high hopes:

“It is a breath of fresh air for our land because it will attract more investment, more people,” he said, adding that the region’s population was rapidly ageing as many young people moved to big cities. “It will bring a new dynamic to Arouca.”

Before the official opening ceremony held last Sunday, people from the town of Arouca were allowed to walk over the megastructure’s see-through metal grids.

The person brave enough to walk first was Hugo Xavier:

“I was a little afraid, but it was so worth it,” a relieved Xavier said on the other side. “It was extraordinary, a unique experience, an adrenaline rush.”

Macio Soares lives in the area and said he didn’t believe it when he first heard about the project:

“But today I’m very proud to be here … it’s a unique experience.”

Check out more in this video:

Shjoe, my anxiety is also rather high right now.

[source:theguardian]