The ''Pont de Normandie'' ( en, Normandy Bridge) is a

cable-stayed A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that spans the river

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

linking

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, northern France. Its total length is – between the two piers. It is also the last bridge to cross the Seine before it empties into the ocean. It is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...

with a footpath and a narrow cycle lane in each direction allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the bridge free of charge, while motorcycling is also toll-free.

Construction

The bridge was designed by

Michel Virlogeux Dr. Michel Virlogeux FREng CorrFRSE (born 1946, Vichy, Allier, Auvergne) is a French structural engineer and bridge specialist. Career Virlogeux graduated from the ''École Polytechnique'' in 1967 and from the ''École Nationale des Ponts et Cha ...

, the general studies having been led by Bernard Raspaud from

Bouygues Bouygues S.A. () is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext, Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip (stock market), blue chip in the C ...

. The works management was shared between G. Barlet and P. Jacquet. The architects were François Doyelle and Charles Lavigne.. Retrieved 30 September 2006. Construction by

, Campenon Bernard, Dumez,

Monberg & Thorsen Monberg is a surname. List of people with the surname * Børge Monberg (1905–1990), Danish field hockey player * Jesper B. Monberg (born 1977), Danish speedway rider * Michael Monberg (born 1978), Danish politician * Terese Guinsatao Monber ...

, Quillery, Sogea and

Spie Batignolles Spie Batignolles is a French construction company based in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The company provides building and infrastructure construction in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Company history Ernest Goüin fou ...

began in 1988 and lasted seven years. The bridge opened on 20 January 1995. At the time it was both the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and also had a record distance between piers for a cable-stayed bridge. It was more than longer between piers than the previous record-holder. This record was lost in 1999 to the

Tatara Bridge The is a cable-stayed bridge that is part of the Nishiseto Expressway, commonly known as the Shimanami Kaidō しまなみ海道. The bridge has a center span of . As of 2010 it has the fourth longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge after ...

in Japan. Its record for length for a cable-stayed bridge was lost in 2004 to the 2883 meters of the Rio-Antirrio. The total cost of the bridge, ancillary structures and financing was $465 million. The bridge proper cost €233 million (US$250 million). The cable-stayed design was chosen because it was both cheaper and more resistant to high winds than a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

. Shortly after opening, the longest cables exhibited excessive vibrations, so several damping systems were quickly retrofitted.

Structure

The span, wide, is divided into four lanes for vehicular traffic and two lanes for pedestrians. The pylons, made of concrete, are shaped as upside-down Ys. They weigh more than and are tall. More than of steel and 184 cables made by fr:Freyssinet were used.

Gallery

File:J79164 Yul cdg 20140624-051332.55 France.jpg, From above File:Le Pont de Normandie 2.jpg, From the freeway A29

References

External links

Website of Pont de Normandie and Pont de Tancarville

Website of the company operating the bridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Normandie, Pont de Bridges over the River Seine Cable-stayed bridges in France Bridges completed in 1995

Pont de Normandie The ''Pont de Normandie'' ( en, Normandy Bridge) is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the river Seine linking Le Havre to Honfleur in Normandy, northern France. Its total length is – between the two piers. It is also the last bridge to ...

Toll bridges in France

Construction

Structure

Gallery

See also

References

External links