Rochefort Transporter Bridge
Coordinates: 45 ° 54 ′ 58 " N , 0 ° 57 ′ 38" W.
| Rochefort Transporter Bridge | ||
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| use | Pedestrians and cyclists | |
| Crossing of | Charente | |
| place | Rochefort | |
| construction | Transporter bridge | |
| overall length | 175 m | |
| opening | July 29, 1900 | |
| location | ||
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The Rochefort transporter bridge (French: Pont transbordeur de Rochefort or Pont à transbordeur de Martrou ) went into operation in 1900 and is the work of the French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin . The building has been recognized as a monument historique since 1976 .
description
This transporter bridge is an engineering structure that connects the two banks of the Charente between Rochefort and Échillais without obstructing shipping to the Naval Arsenal and the port of Rochefort. It is the last of its kind in France.
On each side of the Charente there are two steel pylons each 68 m high. A 175 m long bridge girder connects the supports 50 m above the high water level. A gondola suspended from this bridge girder enables passengers to get from one bank to the other.
history
Work on the transporter bridge with the aim of replacing a ferry that was insufficient for the growing traffic began in 1898 under the direction of Ferdinand Arnodin. The bridge was inaugurated on July 29, 1900 after a construction period of 27 months. It had cost 586,500 francs according to the prices at the time and could carry 200 people or 9 two-horse wagons and 50 people on each crossing. Their load capacity was 14 tons. The crossing took four minutes, including the time needed to get on and off the ferry.
Extensive renovation measures were necessary between 1933 and 1934 because the beginnings of fractures had been discovered in some components. The maximum load capacity of the gondola was increased to 16 tons.
Further reinforcements were made in the post-war period. As the waiting times became longer and longer due to the increasing traffic, a lifting bridge was built 250 m downstream in 1967 .
In 1975 funding of 1.4 million francs was made available for the demolition of the transporter bridge. But on April 30, 1976, it received the status of a Monument historique and thus escaped destruction.
From 1990 to 1994 the bridge was completely renovated for 7 million francs. At the same time, due to the increasing traffic, the lift bridge was replaced by a toll road bridge made of prestressed concrete with two two lanes ( Viaduc de Martrou , inaugurated in 1991). Then the lift bridge was demolished; only the foundations of the pillars and the southern driveway remained.
Today the Rochefort transporter bridge is mainly used for tourism. Pedestrians and vehicles that do not require authorization (e.g. bicycles) are transported.
Others
The transporter bridge served as the setting for the opening scene of the film The Girls of Rochefort by Jacques Demy with Catherine Deneuve and her sister Françoise Dorléac in 1967 , in which the gondola became the stage for a choreography.
See also
Web links
- Website of the Rochefort transporter bridge - photos + information (French)
- Rochefort transporter bridge - references, photos + information
Individual evidence
- ↑ du Pont-transbordeur Martrou, Rochefort in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)