Bridges of Lyon, France: Pont Kitchener-Marchand across the Saone River

September 2016 (45° 45' 5.00" N    4° 49' 21.00" E) Pont Kitchener-Marchand

I was just commenting on how few continuous bridges are in Lyon when I came upon the Pont Kitchener-Marchand. It's a three span 380 ft long rigid frame structure on caissons with keys that prevent the piers rounded bottoms from moving longitudinally. A metal sculpture depicting the spirits of the Rhone and Saone Rivers is mounted above the piers. This reinforced concrete bridge is covered with what looks like bathroom tiles.

The current bridge replaced a suspension bridge (The Pont Napoleon from 1847) that was damaged during WWII (see photo above) and rebuilt after the war. An even earlier timber bridge (The Pont Midi) was destroyed by riots in 1832, it was rebuilt, but it was destroyed by a flood in 1840. Kitchener and Marchand were British and French military officers during WWI.

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