Viaduc des Fades
The Viaduc des Fades is the highest railway viaduct in France .
location
The viaduct is the largest construction of the single-track railway line Volvic - Lapeyrouse , which was closed in 2007 and connects Clermont-Ferrand with Montluçon . It spans the Sioule river valley in the Auvergne in the Puy-de-Dôme department between Sauret-Besserve in the north and Les Ancizes-Comps in the south, 40 km northwest of Clermont-Ferrand . The mountain area is called La Combraille or Les Combrailles .
There is a good view of the viaduct from the D 62 on the Barrage de Fades dam , where there is also an information board nearby.
history
The viaduct was planned in 1893-1896 and built in 1901-1909. From 1896 Félix Virard (1852–1910) worked out the actual construction plan, which in 1901 received ministerial approval. The construction company was the Société Française de Constructions Mécaniques (Anciens Établissements Cail) from Denain (North), Emile Robert was in charge of the construction. The viaduct was completed on September 11, 1909 and was ceremonially opened to traffic on October 10, 1909 by the Minister of Transport, René Viviani .
After almost a hundred years, the railway line ceased operations on December 9, 2007. Since then, France’s largest steel viaduct has ceased to be of traffic engineering importance, but has been protected as a historical monument since 1984.
description
It is a truss bridge with a total length of 470.25 m. The two 92 m high pillars are made of granite stones, the truss girders are made of steel like the triple mesh itself . The height of the bridge is 132.5 m from the surface of the Sioule, making it the highest railway bridge in France. The pillars support three bridge sections of 116, in the middle of 144 and another 116 m in length. The bridge width of the pillars is 22 m, the carriageway almost 8 m.
literature
- Klaus Stiglat: Bridges on the way . Ernst & Sohn, Berlin 1997, pp. 114f., ISBN 3-433-01299-7 .
Web links
- Over the viaduct (French)
- Viaduc des Fades on Highest Bridges.com
Coordinates: 45 ° 58 ′ 17 ″ N , 2 ° 48 ′ 11 ″ E