Langkawi Sky Bridge

The curved cable-stayed bridge is 125 meters (410 ft) long and nominally 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) wide, in five 25 m (82 ft) sections: a wider curved central section connected on each end symmetrically to a curved section followed by a straight section. It has steel railings as well as steel wire meshes on both sides of the bridge. It was designed by Peter Wyss[1] as a curved walkway to maximise the viewing experience, providing shifting perspective as a visitor walks along the bridge. The walkway, formed of steel and concrete panels set on top of an inverted triangular truss, connects two hilltops at Gunung Mat Chinchang. The first 25 m (82 ft) of the bridge is straight, followed by three curved 25 m (82 ft) sections, then a final straight 25 m (82 ft) section. At each end of the walkway, the bridge has a 3.6m-wide triangular viewing platform that serves as resting and viewing areas for visitors.[2]

The curved bridge deck is suspended by four pairs of front-stay cables, connected to outrigger hanging points located at the ends of the three curved 25 m (82 ft) sections, in a semi-fan array from the top of an 81.5 m (267 ft) high single pylon. The curved bridge deck hangs with its center of gravity directly below its point of suspension at the pylon head and with the top of the deck at an elevation 660 m (2,170 ft) above sea level. The pylon is anchored onto a concreted pad set at an elevation of 604.5 m (1,983 ft), and its tip reached 686 m (2,251 ft) above sea level. It is tilted from the vertical, at angles of 12° and 2° in two planes, and stabilized by two main back-stay cables, anchored into opposite hillsides. The two ends of the curved bridge deck are connected to two triangular viewing platforms on opposite hilltops.[2] The bridge is designed to carry a up to 250 people.[3]

The bridge was pre-fabricated in segments and lifted to the top of the mountain using Russian Kamov helicopters. The entire bridge was then assembled in its current position beside the pylon. Helicopters were also used in the erection of the two triangular end platforms, the pylon, and the initial central segment of the deck. Because of instability in the deck segment, the remaining deck segments, of which there were fourteen, were assembled using more conventional working cable and winch system, with a winch at each end platform and the working cable strung to the pylon. The bridge roughly cost $1.2 million to construct.[2] The bridge was constructed in 12 months between August 2003 and August 2004. It was opened to the public in February 2005.[6]

A new platform being built in 2015 connecting SkyGlide with the bridge

In July 2012, the bridge was closed for maintenance, upgrading and structural strengthening. The whole structure would be of stainless steel, and when it is finished, it would have sections of glass walkway in the wider central curved section so that visitors may look down the valley from where they stand, and an inclined elevator or lift called SkyGlide that brings visitors from the top station down to the bridge.[7]

The bridge reopened in February 2015,[6] although access was for a time still limited as the SkyGlide was not finished until December 2015.