World's Longest Glass Bridge - Who Will Clean It?

An artist's concept of people walking across the glass bridge high above the Zhangjiajie canyon in China. The glass bridge spans 370 m (1,214 ft), but who will be doing the window or glass cleaning?

World's longest glass bridge set to open in China next year: In a bid to attract more tourists to the region, Hunan Province in China has commissioned the architectural firm of Haim Dotan to produce a completely transparent glass bridge spanning 370 m (1,214 ft) across the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. Dizzyingly high at about 400 m (1,312 ft) above the canyon floor, the span is claimed to be capable of holding up to 800 people at a time.

Dizzyingly high at about 400 m (1,312 ft) above the canyon floor, the glass bridge will carry up to 800 people at a time.

China seems to be enamoured with terrifyingly high, world-beating glass structures. Gizmag recently detailed the world's longest glass-bottomed cantilever skywalk in Longgang National Geological Park, Chongqing, for example, which extends 26.64 m (87.4 ft) over a straight drop of 718m (2,356ft), making it some 5 m (16 ft) longer than the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon glass bridge continues this trend of oneupmanship.

The glass bridge is touted to be a "Wonder of the World" by the Hunan Province.

Funded in part by the Tourism investment cooperation meeting at the Central China Expo in 2012, and slated for opening some time next year, the glass bridge is touted as a "Wonder of the World" by Hunan Province. Set to be constructed between the summits either side of the canyon, the deceptively fragile-looking structure will also have an added thrill for those that find the idea of walking across a sheer drop on a see-through bridge too tame.. a bungee jump. To be located in the middle of the structure, the bungee jump is also said to be another world-first for Hunan province as the highest bungee on the planet, at around 60 m (197 ft) or so higher than the current highest commercial bungee of 233 m (764 ft) on the Macau Tower.

Tall Orders For Window Cleaners

The team washes and cleans 24,348 windows, or about 120,000 sq meters of glass.

Workers clean the windows of the world's tallest skyscraper the Burj Khalifa.

Could these be the world's bravest workers?

Now that's a tall order, boss! Workers hang from world's tallest skyscraper. Could these be the world's bravest workers? Window cleaners have taken to the world’s tallest skyscraper the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, hanging only by ropes. Measuring 828m high, it was no easy task. The team of workers washed and cleaned 24,348 windows – or approximately 120,000sq m of glass covering the super-structure. Construction of Burj Khalifa began in 2004 and cost $US1.5 billion. Also checkout the Worlds best roof top bars & tall buildings.

It's a two-minute ride to the top of the recently completed Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 828m the world's tallest building.

A brave worker put the final touches on the Anzhaite Long-span Suspension Bridge.

300m up on the world's highest suspension bridge - who cares about safety? Meet the world's most relaxed duster as he puts the finishing touches to China's record-breaking Anzhaite Long-span Suspension Bridge. The bridge, which is located in Jishou, Hunan, measures 1176 metres across and is 336 metres above the ground, making it the world's highest and longest suspension bridge. Construction has taken nearly five years, with most of the work finished at the end of last year. It was built to ease traffic in the area mainly caused by its numerous narrow, steep roads. Pedestrians can walk along it on a special walkway and take in views of the Dehang Canyon.

Heavens Gate Made Of Glass & It Will Need Cleaning

Great fall of China: A tourist is frozen with fear looking down through an amazing glass walkway — more than 1,400m above the ground. She was one of the first to try a new vertigo-inducing path running along 60 metres of sheer rock face, on the side of Tianmen Mountain, China. Visitors must wear shoe covers to keep it clean — presumably because no window cleaner could be talked into doing the job.

Is there ver-to-go? ... girl inches along path. Click to enlarge.

It is certainly not a path for the faint-hearted. On one side a sheer rock face, on the other a 4,000ft drop - and all to separate the brave traveller from a deadly plunge is a 3ft-wide, 2.5in thick walkway. And if that is not enough to bring terror into the pit of your stomach, the path running alongside a Chinese mountainside is made out of glass, allowing a crystal-clear view of where one false step can take you. So it was perhaps understandable that this woman tackled the walkway by sticking as close to the cliff as possible, feeling her way along with tentative steps.

Dazzling: A glass path suspended on a cliff face has been built on the side of the Tianmen Mountain in China.

The skywalk is situated 4,700ft above sea level on the side of the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China. The 200ft long bridge joins the west cliff at the Yunmeng Fairy Summit, the summit of Tianmen Mountain and Zhang Jiajie. And it would appear to be too scary for the cleaners - tourists are asked to put on shoe covers before passing to help keep the path clean. The pathway, built earlier in the summer echoes the glass-bottomed walkway at the Grand Canyon in the U.S. The 70ft bridge is 4,000ft above the natural wonder and allows tourists to look through 2.5in of crystal-clear glass to the Canyon floor below. The Tianmen mountain, literally translated as Heavenly Gate Mountain is so called because of a huge natural cave that occurs halfway up to the summit.

Tianmen means Heavenly Gate Mountain.

Situated in the Hunan Province, Its highest peak is around 5,000ft above sea level and it is home to a wealth of rare species of plants. A four-mile-long cable car was constructed in the park, which is said to be the longest of the same type in the world. The Shifou Mountain, located 82 miles away, offers sightseers a 3ft-wide road made of wooden planks thousands of feet high. And no matter how terrifying the glass walkway may be - it can only be an improvement from another sky high mountain walkway located in the same province. When finished the wooden 'road' - which is the width of a dinner table - will stretch for 1.8miles making it China's longest sightseeing path.

Not so high spec: Workers built a 3ft-wide plank road on the side of Shifou Mountain, in Hunan Province, China earlier this year.

The Ghost Valley Plank Road. Click to enlarge.

The older original version. Click to enlarge.