Pont george v
Coordinates: 47 ° 53 ′ 48 ″ N , 1 ° 54 ′ 15 ″ E
| Pont george v | ||
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| use | Road bridge | |
| Crossing of | Loire | |
| place | Orleans | |
| construction | Stone arch bridge | |
| overall length | 325 m | |
| width | 15.20 m | |
| start of building | 1751 | |
| completion | 1760/1763 | |
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The Pont George V is a bridge over the Loire in Orléans , Loiret department , France . It connects Rue Royale in the city center on the right bank with Avenue Dauphine in the newer district of Saint-Jean-le-Blanc on the south bank of the Loire and is still one of the most important crossings over the Loire in Orléans. During the construction period it was called Pont d'Orléans , then Pont Royal and later Pont National . At the beginning of the First World War , it was named after the then King George V of Great Britain .
description
The Pont George V is a 325 m long and 15.20 m wide arched bridge with nine basket arches , the spans of which differ only slightly. The middle arch has the largest span with 32.48 m, the arches on the abutments have a clear opening of almost 30 m. Originally all arches were made of stone, after the blasting in World War II , four arches were rebuilt as reinforced concrete and clad on the sides with natural stone so that they can hardly be distinguished from the original arches. The pillars were built according to the “rule of fifths” that applied at the time, according to which the thickness of the pillars should be one fifth of the opening of the bridge arch. The road surface has only a barely noticeable slope. The road is divided into two lanes, two tram lanes and a sidewalk and has massive stone parapets. At the southern end there are two large, somewhat recessed pavilions that used to be used for toll collection. At the abutment of the right bank upstream there is a water level scale on which the historical flood events are noted, with the highest water levels being recorded in 1856, 1866 and 1846. Next to it there is an automatic level with which the water level is measured, which is displayed on a display board at the northern end of the bridge.
The bridge is registered in France as a historic monument ( Monument historique ).
history
The Pont des Tourelles originally provided the connection between the banks. This bridge, made up of a total of 21 arches, was about 80 m further up the river than the current bridge. It was built between 1120 and 1140 and has been repaired, reinforced and rebuilt several times over the years. In the 18th century the condition of this bridge had become so bad, especially due to floods and ice drift, that a new construction was inevitable.
Finally, Jean Hupeau was entrusted with the planning. The construction work was awarded in 1751, and the 34-year-old engineer Robert Soyer was appointed as the site manager, who was involved in this task for the next ten years. There were no unusual problems in the construction of the bridge, considering difficulties in draining the wooden-walled construction pits, a spring encountered during excavation, and flood damage as common problems. In July 1760 the bridge was opened; Madame de Pompadour was the first person to officially cross the bridge on her way to her castle, Château de Menars .
In the following three years, remaining work and work related to the bridge were carried out, such as the demolition of the old Pont de Tourelle, the construction of the embankment walls, the completion of the facades of the Rue Royale and the Rue Dauphine, which were built in the middle of the existing buildings.
Jean Hupeau died shortly before the final completion of all the work on March 10, 1763. His successor Jean-Rodolphe Perronet only had to carry out the acceptance and settlement of the construction work in October 1763 .
Robert Soyer has left detailed notes about his work and numerous plans that give a good insight into the working methods of the time.
literature
- Grand Livre du Pont Royal, Pont George V à Orléans - Sa Construction, Son Histoire , published by the Société des amis des musées d'Orléans , 1993, ISBN 2-84503-221-8
