Highline179, Pedestrian suspension bridge in Reutte, Austria
Highline179 is a pedestrian suspension bridge south of Reutte in Tyrol, spanning the Fernpassstraße B179 between the Ehrenberg ruins and Fort Claudia. Its 1.2-metre-wide grating walkway rests on crossbars hung from four 60 mm support cables, with a 1.35-metre handrail and wire mesh on both sides. The span measures 406 metres and hangs 113 to 114 metres above the Ehrenberg castle world, with the eastern end about 9.85 metres higher than the other.
The idea for a bridge at this spot was first presented publicly in 2003 by architect Armin Walch, who had also worked on the Holzgau suspension bridge. Planning began in spring 2012 after the building permit, construction started in April 2014, and the span closed on 29 October 2014, nine days after the last cable was pulled. It opened on 22 November 2014, after the originally planned 10 October date was postponed.
The name combines the English word "highline" with 179, the number of the Fernpassstraße B 179 that the bridge crosses overhead. The span links the Ehrenberg ruins with Fort Claudia, and since April 2019 the Ehrenberg Liner inclined lift carries 50 people at a time up the roughly 110 metres from the visitor centre to the Hornwerk stop.
Access is through portals at each end where machines sell tickets, and the crossing is open daily in good weather. Strong winds or thunderstorms close the span, so checking conditions before traveling is advisable.
The bridge deck is a steel grating laid on crossbars hung from four support cables, each 60 mm thick, fixed by 16 anchors drilled 17 m into the rock. The whole span weighs about 70 tonnes. Turnstiles at both ends cap the number of people on the deck at 500, although the structure could carry 1000.
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