The Viaduc de Chillon is a

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

located in

Veytaux Veytaux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The Chateau of Chillon provides a view of the entire Lake of Geneva located in Avenue de Chillon. History Veytaux is first mentioned in 13 ...

to the southeast of

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...

. Built by the ''Consortium des Viaducs de Chillon'' between 1966 and 1969, it takes its name from the

Château de Chillon Chillon Castle (french: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives acce ...

which lies downhill on the shores of

Lac Léman , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. The viaduct comprises two structures wide carrying the east and westbound lanes of the Swiss A9 autoroute. The choice of a viaduct was dictated by the steeply-sloping terrain, the need to avoid extensive deforestation and the esthetic implications of the proximity of the Château de Chillon. A tunnel was considered for the site, but was rejected to keep costs down. The bridge uses prefabricated concrete parts, assembled from a crane spanning overhead from pier to pier The two viaducts span a total of at a height of above the lake. The two structures are staggered by several metres in height. The supporting piers are between 3 and high and are separated by spans of , } or . At the northern end of the viaduct, the road enters the

Glion Tunnel The Glion Tunnel is a two-gallery vehicular tunnel running underneath Montreux in Switzerland. It carries autoroute A9, which links the Vaud canton to the Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valai ...

. The southern end of the viaduct ends on the heights of

Villeneuve Villeneuve, LaVilleneuve or deVilleneuve may refer to: People * Villeneuve (surname) Places Australia * Villeneuve, Queensland, a town in the Somerset Region Canada * Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a Formula One racetrack in Montréal * Villeneuv ...

. The viaduct offers an expansive view of Lac Léman, the

Chablais Chablais () was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains. Chablais was elevated to a duchy in 1311 by Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor. This region is currently divided into three territories, the ''Chablais savoyard'', the ...

, and Haute-Savoie on the opposite side of the lake. Chillon from the lake

References

External links

Viaduc de Chillon
at the École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne (in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chillon, Viaduc De Bridges completed in 1969 Concrete bridges Road bridges in Switzerland Viaducts in Switzerland 20th-century architecture in Switzerland