The craggy pedestrian bridge becomes an attractive destination

The suspension bridge ‘516 Arouca’ in the city of Arouca, Portugal is a unique destination, but not for the ‘weak-hearted’ visitor.
Nestled among the green rock-covered mountains of Arouca Geopark, Portugal, the 516-meter-long “516 Arouca” bridge has become the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. The old record belonged to the Charles Kuonen pedestrian bridge, located in the Swiss Alps. Although completed a long time ago, the bridge was only allowed to welcome visitors a few days ago.

This project cost $2.8 million and took 2 years to build. Source: Carlos Costa/AFP The bridge is located at a height of 175m, below is the fast flowing water of the Paiva river. The scenery here is extremely peaceful, but the journey across the bridge is not for the faint of heart. The bridge is supported by steel cables and two massive towers on each side, the railing has a metal mesh, but visitors still feel a little “wobble” when crossing the bridge. Although heights can be intimidating for many, the first guests to walk here said they were excited and enjoyed the experience. A local resident named Marcio Soares also shared, he feels proud of the bridge. The Arouca city government hopes the $2.8 million project and takes two years to build will help revive the economy here. Suspension bridge “516 Arouca”. Source: Reuters During the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Margarida Belem said it will be one of the main attractions in the area: “Although the construction of the bridge has been completed for some time, the inauguration is still very important because It allows us to resume tourism.” Mr. Emanuel – a local guide shared, this city is aging rapidly as many young people move to big cities: “This is a breath of fresh air for our land, helping to attract many heads of the city. More private, more tourists. It will give a new impetus to Arouca.”