516 Arouca, world’s longest pedestrian bridge opened in Portugal

'516 Arouca', which is a new pedestrian suspension bridge, and is claimed to be the the world’s longest suspension bridge, has opened in the Arouca Geopark of northern Portugal. The Institute for Research and Technological Development has built the bridge for Energy, Environment, Sustainability, and Construction to attract tourists to the Arouca area, which provides views across the Paiva Gorge and toward the nearby Aguieiras Waterfall. Arouca's mayor described the bridge as 'iconic' and a 'modern landmark'. The pedestrian suspension bridge measures 516 metres (m) in length. The bridge is built in the Arouca Geopark. It links two hills with granite cliff faces and is suspended 175 m above the Paiva River. The bridge is located next to an eight-kilometre-long trail, Paiva Walkways, that winds through the Arouca hills. The bridge structure surpasses Switzerland's 494 m Charles Kuonen Bridge that was completed in 2017, and is Europe's longest pedestrian suspension bridge now. The bridge is considered to be the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge by the developers, although the 567 m Baglung Parbat Footbridge in Nepal also claims the title. However, the Nepalese crossing is a simple or catenary suspension bridge, following the same curve as and featuring a deck supported by free-hanging cables. Image SourceAlso read: World’s tallest railway bridge by Indian Railways Also read: Railways completes arch bottom of tallest Chenab Bridge