Goms Bridge, Suspension bridge in Valais, Switzerland

The Goms Bridge is a suspension structure that spans across the young Rotten river valley in the Swiss Alps, connecting Fürgangen and Mühlebach. The bridge uses steel cables and wooden planking to allow both pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the waterway.

The bridge replaced a historic path through the Lammaschlucht that crossed the Rotten about 500 m upstream and was used by Bellwald residents for funerals and religious services at the Ernen parish church. After four years of planning, construction began in autumn 2014; Patrizia Kummer, 2014 Olympic parallel giant slalom snowboard champion, opened the bridge on 14 June 2015. It cost 1.25 million Swiss francs, mostly borne by Bellwald and Ernen.

The bridge is named after the Goms valley, the upper section of the Rhone valley in Valais. It replaced a path through the Lammaschlucht used by Bellwald residents to reach the parish church in Ernen for funerals and religious celebrations. Today up to 1,000 tourists cross it daily, and a bistro and parking area were built at the main road for visitors.

Access is via the Matterhorn Gotthard rail line to Fürgangen-Bellwald station, followed by a cable car to Bellwald. Weather in this elevation can change quickly, so sturdy footwear and layered clothing are recommended for comfort.

The bridge's two cable bundles each hold three 36.8 mm cables weighing 2.3 tonnes, and the whole structure weighs 57 tonnes. Its abutments in Fürgangen and Mühlebach can absorb tensile forces of up to 550 tonnes.