The Civil Engineering Contractor April 2018 | Page 14

THIS IS CIVIL ENGINEERING
Hanging nearly 85m in the air, the Europabrücke
(Europe Bridge) forms part of a two-day hiking
route that will allow hikers to avoid an arduous
descent and climb through a valley, while traversing
between the towns of Zermatt and Grächen, in
southern Switzerland. At a half-kilometre-long, the
suspension footbridge is touted as the longest in
the world. The bridge, whose cables weigh about
eight tonnes, is equipped with a system to prevent
it from swinging.
The Zermatt Tourist Board says it is the world’s
longest, although a 405m bridge in Reutte, Austria,
hangs 110m higher above the ground. nn
12 - CEC April 2018