ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - What juts out 70 feet, sits 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the edge of the Grand Canyon, can withstand winds in excess of 100 mph from eight directions and survive a magnitude 8.0 earthquake?

By the end of this year, the answer will be the Grand Canyon Skywalk - a glass bridge that is being built on the edge of the canyon on the western rim.

Part of Grand Canyon West, a destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, the Skywalk was originally set to open in January but is now scheduled for completion by midsummer and will be open to the public by the end of the year.

"Tourism is our only means of self-sufficiency, of our people coming out of poverty and social problems," said Sheri Yellowhawk, chief executive officer of Grand Canyon West.

Last year, about a quarter million people visited the area located on the west rim of the Grand Canyon. The Hualapai tribe owns 1 million acres of land with 108 miles of that along the rim of the canyon. Yellowhawk said although the land-use plan designates 9,000 acres for development, only 11 percent of the land within that 9,000 acres will actually be developed.

She said once Grand Canyon West is at total build-out - in approximately 10 to 15 years - the area will draw between 3 million and 5 million visitors a year like the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Allison Raskansky, president and CEO of Destination Grand Canyon, promoted Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk during a three-day Go West Summit with the theme "Discover the American West" at the Dixie Center.

Raskansky said the summit is limited to industry specialists and said the interest in Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk is phenomenal.

"I have 54 available appointments and just about every one is full," Raskansky said.

She said it is expected that the glass bridge will be up and visible in the canyon by July, although access will not be allowed until later in the year because the visitor center will take longer to complete.

Interest in the cantilever structure, which will have glass walls 5 feet tall and 4 inches thick over a 4-inch thick glass floor, has been split, Raskansky said.

"Half of the people we talk to just want to see it and the other half wants to walk on it," she said.

Although the bridge may not be up for several months, the destination, which is celebrating its 18th year, also has an American Indian village representing five tribes with authentic dwellings situated around an amphitheater where cultural performances take place.

There are also helicopter rides, rides along the Colorado River in pontoon boats, off-road Humvee tours and more.

Raskansky said the development is keeping a good balance with the natural state and said the Hualapai Tribe is not building an amusement park by any means.

Yellowhawk said that since the 1950s, when an old tram was used by the Tribe to mine guano, the council has discussed having part of the 1-million acre reservation, which has about 2,000 members, serve as a destination resort.

"This has been talked about for a long time and in 1988, we had our first tour come in and ever since then, it has grown," Yellowhawk said. "The land-use plan is slowing evolving."

A resort hotel is planned on the reservation. It will be near the rim and will blend in with the natural scenery, Yellowhawk said.

"Basically, we told our architect that it needs to look like a rock," she said.

Money coming to the Tribe from tourism is not only used for reinvestment but to fund the Tribal government, maintain roads, and finance the health department, cultural and educational programs.

"There really is not anything else for funding but tourism and this way, we don't have to rely on gaming," Yellowhawk said.