Grand Canyon Skywalk

Plan your trip to see the Grand Canyon Skywalk today. You will find resources for your Grand Canyon trip such as Grand Canyon lodging or you can take a guided Grand Canyon tour at GrandCanyon.com.

See also: Steel Welding Process Underway for The Skywalk at Grand Canyon West

I received this update from Renee Rietgraf from Preferred Public Relations who sent me an email with the following information:

the Grand Canyon Skywalk is still set for completion by the end of 2006. Plans are underway over the next few months for a private and public opening. The steel frame is set to be welded together by the end of July/ beginning of August, and then it is set to be ?jack and rolled? over the canyon and into place. At that point the glass will be laid and construction on the visitor?s center begins. We will soon have photos available to the media. We will be sending an official media alert out to announce the ?jack and roll? along with a photo of the u-shaped steel.

(Photo of the Project Sign used by permission from newrecruit.org)

Original Post:

The Skywalk, First-Ever Glass Bridge to Suspend Visitors 4,000 Feet Above the Grand Canyon Floor, to Debut end of 2006

Las Vegas, NV ? January 2006 ? Grand Canyon West, a destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe at the Grand Canyon?s western rim, announces new features planned for The Skywalk, which will push the project?s completion date to later this year. Upon completion, The Skywalk will be the first-ever cantilever shaped glass bridge to suspend more than 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extend over the edge of the Grand Canyon.

The Skywalk, originally set to open in January, is now scheduled for completion by mid-summer and to open to the public by the end of the year, due to design changes planned for the building that will serve as the visitor?s center and entrance to the structure. An exact date for the public grand opening will be announced closer to completion of construction. New features planned for The Skywalk include: an underground canyon cellar for dining; a trolley designed to maintain the underside of the glass bridge and offer rides to guests; and rooftop dining; as well as additional unique features to be announced at a later date.

Located at Grand Canyon West?s Eagle Point, The Skywalk facility will also include a 6,000 square-foot visitor?s center on three levels?underground, first story and second story|?|which will contain a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants and bars, including a high-end restaurant called The Skywalk Caf? that will offer outdoor patio and rooftop seating on the edge of the canyon. The second story will be where visitors can access The Skywalk glass bridge. The visitor?s center will also offer private indoor and outdoor facilities for meetings, special events and weddings.

Envisioned by Las Vegas-based entrepreneur David Jin, The Skywalk was designed by MRJ Architects and is being structurally engineered by Lochsa Engineering, LLC and built by Apco Construction. The glass is being manufactured in Germany by Saint Gobain, a European company that specializes in designing structural glass for unique building projects worldwide.

Source: destinationgrandcanyon.com

Scheduled to open the end of 2006 – Hualapai Indian Reservation

* Juts about 70 feet into the canyon, 4000 ft above the Colorado River
* Will accommodate 120 people comfortably
* Built with more than a million pounds of steel beams, and includes dampeners that minimize the structure’s vibration.
* Designed to hold 72 million pounds, withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, and withstand winds in excess of 100 mph
* The walkway has a glass bottom and sides…four inches thick