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PHOENIX, AZ -- The Hualapai Indian tribe fastened a massive glass-bottomed walkway to the edge of the Grand Canyon on Wednesday as part of an ambitious tourism center that has angered environmentalists and some tribal members.

The Hualapai, a tribe of about 2,200 people at the canyon's remote western edge, allowed a private developer to construct the $30-million Skywalk in hopes of luring tourists to the region.

Editor's note: Have you visited the Skywalk? Is it worth the price of admission? Weigh in with your comments and feedback on on our new Travel Message Boards.

Underneath, hydraulic "shoes" lifted the Skywalk above a cement track, rolled it across a bed of metal rods, and set it onto four steel anchors that were drilled deep into the canyon rock. Workers then welded the walkway to the anchors.

While it was pushed out, the walkway was not anchored to the canyon wall. To keep it from tipping over the side, engineers loaded the back end with a half-million pounds of steel cubes as counterweight.

Debra Wilkerson, an assistant operations manager for Grand Canyon West, the agency that supervises the Skywalk, said Wednesday that the rollout was finished without any problems. "Just smooth as glass," she said. "It's awesome."

The Skywalk extends about 70 feet over the rim and about 4,000 feet over the canyon floor. It's designed to withstand 100 mph winds and has shock absorbers to keep the walkway from wobbling as people walk through.

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