Bridge of Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert

About

The Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert bridge, also known as the "Grand Pont sur la Loire", is a suspension bridge located in the Loire department that spans the Loire at Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert. It facilitates the deviation of the departmental road D 498, which links the A72 autoroute to the west of the town of Bonson.

As of 26 February 2021 the bridge has been given the name "Pont Pascal Clément," in honor of Pascal Clément, who played a key role in its construction during his tenure as president of the Departmental Council of Loire.

The bridge's design is notable for its unique triangular portal that supports the carrying cables. The two sets of suspender cables thus form inclined planes instead of being parallel. Moreover, it has the particularity of being self-anchored. The anchoring structures are indeed connected to the deck, which results in a portion of the traction forces being transformed into compression in the deck. As a result, the size of these structures is significantly reduced.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.