The ''Pont de Normandie'' ( en, Normandy Bridge) is a
cable-stayed 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 someth ...
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
, tributa ...
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 ...
to
Honfleur in
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 ...
toll bridge 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, 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, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by F ...
. 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
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. () is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by F ...
,
Campenon Bernard,
Dumez,
Monberg & Thorsen,
Quillery,
Sogea and
Spie Batignolles 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 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 is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical ...
. 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
See also
*
List of bridges in France
*
List of crossings of the River Seine
*
List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans
This list ranks the world's cable-stayed bridges by the length of main span, i.e. the distance between the suspension towers. The length of the main span is the most common way to rank cable-stayed bridges. If one bridge has a longer span than an ...
*
List of tallest bridges in the world
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
Pont de Normandie
Pont de Normandie
Pont de Normandie
Toll bridges in France