Calatrava's Sundial Footbridge...

Total Length: 700 feet
Clearance: 80 feet
Where: Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, California, USA
Opened: 2004
Use/Status: Pedestrian Footbridge / in use
Official Name: The Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay
Crosses: Sacramento River
Design: Santaigo Calatrava
Engineer: Tensor Engineering, Buckland & Taylor Ltd.
Builder: Kiewit Pacific Co., USI
Structural Type: Cantilever Spar Cable-stayed Bridge

A single 217-foot inclined pylon holds up this steel, glass, and granite footbridge which doubles as a working sundial, one day a year. The transparent walkway enables pedestrians to see the river passing under them. Many of the townspeople of Redding were shocked by its appearance and $23 Million price tag. Still, environmentalists love the bridge because it never touches the water, leaving salmon and other aquatic life undisturbed (birds, on the other hand, are learning to fly around it). Kids love the bridge because of the cool Star Wars sound effects the cables make as they walk across.