Passage du Gois
The Passage du Gois (often just: Le Gois ) is a street construction curiosity . It is part of the former national road 148 between Noirmoutier-en-l'Île and Limoges . Since 1973, as the D 948, it has been running in the Baie de Bourgneuf nature reserve between the Île de Noirmoutier and Beauvoir-sur-Mer on the mainland .
The Gois can only be used depending on the tide . Vehicle traffic is possible at low tide ; at high tide , the carriageway is completely flooded by around two to three meters of water. The height of the water level, however, fluctuates strongly: in a nippy tide and calm weather conditions, the road surface is less than a meter high, even when the tide is at its highest level ; in a spring tide and unfavorable meteorological conditions, the maximum water level can be up to 4.5 meters above the road surface.
There are a few other roads of this type - what is unusual about the Passage du Gois is its length of 4.5 kilometers.
etymology
The term gois used in the Vendée has the same meaning as gué in high French. It simply means 'ford'.
history
When the Baie de Bourgneuf was formed in the Quaternary , ocean currents from the north and south brought large amounts of sand with them, which were deposited between the island and the mainland.
18th century
As early as 1702, the French Marshal Chamilly checked whether the rumors that one could reach and leave the island of Noirmoutier on foot were true. He found three islanders willing to wade through the water on foot from the island to the mainland when the tide was low. He himself took a different route by boat. An hour and a half later, they met at the agreed point on the mainland and received their wages. Then they made their way back to the island, explaining that they still had plenty of time to go back.
During the Vendée War during the French Revolution , the Île de Noirmoutier was a refuge for the royalists . Persecutors of the revolutionary army were hit by the tide while marching on the island.
Until the 18th century, the residents managed the dangerous transition to the island on foot over sandbanks . Then foundations were made to prevent the sandbars from moving. They are the basis for today's road embankment. Although the times for high and low tide are displayed at the passage, incidents with pedestrians and vehicles occur again and again.
1920 to 1940
The year 1924, when the passage was graveled, brought considerable improvements in terms of driving comfort and safety. In addition, three life rafts were built, each with a platform, which cannot be reached from the sea even at high tide. Passers-by can take refuge on it if they are surprised by the flood. Six other dolphins carry a long pole with rungs to get out of reach of the sea. They are popularly known as "Mâts de perroquets" (parrot masts).
Between 1935 and 1939 the path was paved with slabs. Work was only possible when the tide was low, that is, for two hours twice a day. The roadway is protected against the pressure of the current by sheet piling. In the meantime, part of the route has also been paved.
The Gois during the Second World War
Both when the island was occupied in June 1940 and when it withdrew from the island from July to August 1944, the German Wehrmacht used the Gois. During the occupation, the island was a restricted area. Entering and leaving the island was only allowed to people who had an appropriate permit. Wehrmacht checkpoints were set up at both ends of the passage. Nevertheless, more than 100 people who were without a permit managed to smuggle their way past the controls during this time. The majority were people who had escaped the obligation to help build the German defense positions.
The Gois since 1945
With increasing motorization from the middle of the 20th century , the traffic through the passage increased immensely: in 1962 around 400,000 crossings were counted, in 1970 there were around 910,000. Since the traffic had to be limited to a few hours a day, there were increasing traffic jams. The construction of an alternative connection between the mainland and the island became more and more urgent. A bridge has also been available since mid-1971. The number of journeys across the passage then decreased rapidly, even if the bridge was subject to tolls in the first few years: 760,000 were counted in 1971, and 530,000 in 1980. The main travel time was the month of August, in which around 25 percent of all crossings in a year took place. The official censuses stopped at the end of 1982. For the years after 2010, it is estimated that around 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles will use the passage annually.
Curiosities
In the 1999 Tour de France there was a mass fall on the second stage from Challans to Saint-Nazaire on the wet and slippery Passage du Gois, which divided the field of riders into two groups. The first stage of the 2011 Tour de France started on the passage.
Since 1987 races across the ford have been held annually on a Saturday in the second half of June - called 'Les Foulées du Gois'. The program for 2013 was as follows: The total of around 1000 participants started in different age groups in a total of six races with distances of 1000, 1500, 3200 and 8000 meters. The highlight and conclusion of the event was the 6th run, the so-called race against the sea (Course contre la mer): 30 runners started two and a half hours after the low water level. That is when the rising water reached the road. Dominique Chauvelier has been the record holder since 1990 with 12 minutes and 8 seconds.
Remarks
- ↑ Literally translated; the correct translation of Mât de perroquet is Bramstenge
Web links
- LE PASSAGE DU GOIS en Vendée (French)
literature
- Henri Martin: Extraordinaire Histoire du Passage du Gois, Chantonnay 1985.
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 46 ° 55 ′ 51 ″ N , 2 ° 7 ′ 34 ″ W.