Glass-Bottom Deck Opened at Grand Canyon

Dakstang · 03-20-2007, 07:53 PM

This comes from foxnews.com

Glass-Bottom Deck 4,000 Feet Above Grand Canyon Floor Unveiled

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

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HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. — Indian leaders and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin awaited their chance Tuesday to walk beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon during opening ceremonies for a glass-bottom observation deck that lets tourists gaze deep into the chasm.

Hundreds of invited guests gathered at this remote reservation to dedicate the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped structure that extends 70 feet beyond the canyon's edge with no visible supports above or below.

Hualapai Indians allowed a Las Vegas developer to build the $30 million Skywalk in hopes of creating a unique attraction on their side of the canyon.

"To me, I believe this is going to help us. We don't get any help from the outside, so, why not?" said Dallas Quasula Sr., 74, a tribal elder who was at the Skywalk. "This is going to be our bread and butter."

For $25 plus other fees, up to 120 people at a time will be able to look down to the canyon floor 4,000 feet below, a vantage point more than twice as high as the world's tallest buildings.

Daniel Kay, who works for the public relations firm supervising the event, said about 1,000 people were expected at Tuesday's ceremony, most of them tribal members, media and special guests, but no tourists.

Wonder or Blunder? Hualapai leaders were to be the first to set foot on the Skywalk, with former astronauts Aldrin and John Herrington hired to join them for a brief ceremony to christen the deck.

The Skywalk is scheduled to open to the public March 28.

To reach the transparent deck, tourists must drive on twisty, unpaved roads through rugged terrain. But the tribe hopes it becomes the centerpiece of a budding tourism industry that includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.

Robert Bravo Jr., operations manager of the Hualapai tourist attractions called Grand Canyon West, said he hopes the Skywalk will double tourist traffic to the reservation this year, from about 300,000 visitors to about 600,000. In later years, he hopes it brings in about 1 million tourists.

"It's a great feeling today. Once everybody sees this, and it's televised, they're going to know to come here," Bravo said.

Architect Mark Johnson said the Skywalk can support the weight of a few hundred people and will withstand wind up to 100 mph. The observation deck has a 3-inch-thick glass bottom and has been equipped with shock absorbers to keep it from bouncing like a diving board as people walk on it.

The Skywalk has sparked debate on and off the reservation. Many Hualapai (pronounced WALL-uh-pie) worry about disturbing nearby burial sites, and environmentalists have blamed the tribe for transforming the majestic canyon into a tourist trap.

Hualapai leaders say they weighed those concerns for years before agreeing to build the Skywalk. With a third of the tribe's 2,200 members living in poverty, the tribal government decided it needs the tourism dollars.

Las Vegas businessman David Jin fronted the money to build the Skywalk. According to the tribe, Jin will give it to the Hualapai in exchange for a cut of the profits.

Construction crews spent two years building the walkway. They drilled steel anchors 46 feet into the limestone rim to hold the deck in place. Earlier this month, they welded the Skywalk to the anchors after pushing it past the edge using four tractor trailers and an elaborate system of pulleys.
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That would be really scary to walk out on.

chops · 03-20-2007, 10:22 PM

sweet, the grand canyon wasn't good enough, lets put a metal and glass monstrosity over the edge of it to see if we can make money. That won't ruin everyone elses view!

Dakstang · 03-20-2007, 11:14 PM

I believe that this is on the other side of the canyon that doesn't get much tourists. They did this to try and draw tourists to their side.

Glass-Bottom Deck Opened at Grand Canyon

This is a discussion on Glass-Bottom Deck Opened at Grand Canyon within the General Discussion forums, part of the Non Wrestling Forums category; This comes from foxnews.com Glass-Bottom Deck 4,000 Feet Above Grand Canyon Floor Unveiled Tuesday, March 20, 2007 To view links ...