Viaduc d'Austerlitz
48°50′37″N 02°22′04″E / 48.84361°N 2.36778°E
Viaduc d'Austerlitz | |
|---|---|
 MF 01 running on the bridge | |
| Coordinates | 48°50′37″N 02°22′04″E / 48.84361°N 2.36778°E |
| Carries | Paris Métro |
| Crosses | Seine |
| Locale | Paris, France |
| Maintained by | Transit Authority of Paris |
| Next upstream | Pont Charles-de-Gaulle |
| Next downstream | Pont d'Austerlitz |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge, suspended deck |
| Longest span | 140 metres |
| History | |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Location | |
 | |
Viaduc d'Austerlitz (English: Austerlitz Viaduct) is a single-deck, steel
Quai de la Rapée
on the other side of the river.
History
Due to restrictions posed by navigational traffic, it was implausible to place a pier in the middle of the river. Therefore, in 1903, engineer Louis Biette, with the help of Fulgence Bienvenüe, conceptualized a metallic bridge that crossed the river in a single span.
It was designed by the architect
seaweeds. Parts of the steel footings are etched with figures of the Parisian coat of arms
, which symbolizes steadfastness.
Tasked with the bridge construction, the
arcs joined together at three locations—two near the river banks and one exactly on the top of the arcs—and a single suspended deck about 8.5 m in width and hovering 11 m above water. As the deck is too close to the water, the arcs had to be elevated above the deck and affixed at each end to a giant stone abutment
, 22 m x 18 m in dimension.
The approach to the bridge from the
girders parallel to the rails. The helicoid ramp, which has a radius of approximately 75 m and a 40‰ gradient, bends in until the rails point downstream.[2]
The rails then disappear beneath la Place Mazas and re-emerge at the other end.
The construction of the viaduct began in 1903 and was completed by the following year. In 1936, the bridge body was consolidated to allow it to carry more load.
Access
| Located near the Quai de la Rapée .
|
See also
- List of crossings of the River Seine
Bibliography
- Plum, Gilles (2014). Paris architectures de la Belle Époque. Éditions Parigramme. ISBN 978-2-84096-800-9.
- Cohen, J., Above Paris - The Aerial Survey of Roger Henrard (Dominique Carré éditeur, 2006 & Paris-Musées, 2006)
Notes and citations
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viaduc d'Austerlitz.
- Technical Specifications
- (in French) Bridge history
- Gallery
- (in French) Bridge decorations