© T.W. van UrkPont De Normandie 1995
Pont De Normandie 1995
© dvoevnore
Pont de Normandie
On completion it was the world's longest cable-stayed bridge
Key Facts
Four-lane roadway with 2 pedestrian lanes
More than 19,000 tons of steel were used
184 Freyssinet cables bear the weight of the deck
Location
Between Le Havre and Honfleur
Normandy, Northern France
Carries the A29 motorway over the River Seine
Designer
Michel Virlogeux (designer)
Francois Doyelle, Charles Lavigne and Alain Montois (architects)
Description
Cable-stayed bridge
856m main span
2,143m total length
Main contractors
Joint Venture including Bouygues, Monberg & Thorsen
Construction
Began in 1989
Opened 20 January 1995
The Bridge
The Pont de Normandie (Normandy Bridge) crosses the estuary of the River Seine between Honfleur and Le Havre. When the opened in January 1995 it was the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge both by central span (856m) and total length (2,141m). The two elegant A-shaped towers rise 215m above the river.
It has revitalised the town of Le Havre and improved the east-west road connection from Calais and Amiens to Caen and Brittany.
It was designed by the renowned French engineer and bridge designer Michel Virlogeux. He has designed many other long-span bridges including the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon, and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Istanbul.
© Peter H