50 million euro facelift for the bicentenary stone bridge in Bordeaux

This project, worth 50 million euros, will result in the shutdown of line A of the tramway, the only one crossing the river, in July-August "for at least three years from 2025", indicated Stéphane Pokora, director of roads and engineering works in Bordeaux Métropole.

“This work has been sinking under its own weight for many years,” he said.

The work aims to reinforce around ten piers by installing micropiles, resealing the structure and its masonry, as well as installing riprap at the foot of the piers to plug the holes created by rising tides. and which go down, he detailed.

Christine Bost, elected president of Bordeaux Métropole in mid-March after the resignation of Alain Anziani for health reasons, spoke of a triple issue of "safety of the work", "securing the transport network", with works of switching “to fill the identified weaknesses” on the tramway, and finally “heritage”.

The Stone Bridge was built between 1810 and 1822 on the initiative of Napoleon I. 487 meters long and 19 meters wide, it was the only bridge connecting the two banks of the Garonne to Bordeaux until the construction of the Saint-Jean bridge in 1965.

The renovation of the latter, "soon to be completed", according to the mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic, and the inauguration this summer of the new Simone-Veil bridge were prerequisites for the launch of this project.