National

Cuomo OKs High-Wire Artist's Bid To Cross Falls

By NPR Staff and Wires

Published September 23, 2011 at 5:17 PM PDT

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The daredevil and his technical team met with emergency responders and others Wednesday to talk about his proposed high-wire walk over the falls.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed on to daredevil Nik Wallenda's request to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls.

Cuomo signed a bill Friday that would permit Wallenda, 32, to attempt a feat that would otherwise be illegal.

He wants to walk over the falls between the U.S. and Canada on a wire 2 inches in diameter and about 1,800 feet long. It would be the first wire walk in more than a century.

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In an interview with Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon in June, Wallenda said the feat "has been a dream of mine forever. It's in my blood."

Canadian parks officials have yet to support the idea, though. The Buffalo News reports that Wallenda plans to wait until after upcoming elections in Canada to formally seek permission from the Niagara Parks Commission. The Ontario commission has denied such requests in the past.

Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas. Also known as the "King of the High Wire," Wallenda holds multiple Guinness World Records.