Bridges of Lyon, France: Passerelle Palais de Justice across the Saone River

September 2016 (45° 45' 41.35" N    4° 49' 48.19" E) Passerelle Palais de Justice

Another location with plenty written about previous structures but with little information on the current bridge. The Passerelle Palais de Justice sits in front of the Cour d'Appel de Lyon. It's a cable-stayed footbridge with a single tower near the left bank of the river. I wish I could have found more information about this bridge because of its odd details. For instance, a cable-stayed bridge with an eccentric single tower will have the cables behind the tower buried underground. However, this bridge has the cables anchored in what I assume is a sculpture (see photo below).

Speaking of sculptures, there is a statue at the other end of the bridge, in front of the court (see photo below). I assumed this sculpture depicted a hero from Greek mythology, until I found out that it's actually called 'The Weight of Oneself.' Well, I guess it's oneself as long as one is a young white man. The artists are Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset and their sculpture was unveiled by the mayor of Lyon in 2013.

Returning to the bridge, the Passerelle Palais de Justice was designed by Gilbert Lamboley with architectural assistance from Charles Delfante and built by Baudin-Chateayneuf in 1983, according to the Structurae Website. The bridge is 136m (450 ft) long, only 4m (13 ft) wide, and with a tower on split legs that straddles the deck.

Despite the artistic paraphernalia that surrounds the bridge, I don't find it to be a very attractive structure. The tower looks puny on the big concrete foundation and the deck is unimpressive. I think it could have been a very dramatic structure if it was supported by an monolithic tower rising out of the water and if the deck was an elegant line stretching between the banks. Certainly the stately buildings that surround it are begging for a more dramatic statement across the river.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Australia's Bridges: Footbridge over State Route 40 in Darling Harbour, Sydney (2)

March 2011 (-33.871 deg., 151.203 deg.) Footbridge in Darling Harbour

A view from slightly below the deck of this cable-stayed bridge. It looks like not an ounce of material was wasted. Each cable is threaded through the top of the tower and anchored to a tubular floor beam at each end. The tower leg elements have just enough bracing to prevent buckling. The channels along the deck look just deep enough for the dead and live load. 

The tower is located slightly off-center to allow pedestrians to enter a monorail platform alongside of the bridge. The platform legs are between several connectors for State Route 40 below. It all looks a little crowded but it works.

Australia's Bridges: Footbridge over State Route 40 in Darling Harbour, Sydney (1) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Australia's Bridges: Footbridge over State Route 40 in Darling Harbour, Sydney (1)

March 2011 (-33.871 deg., 151.203 deg.) Footbridge in Darling Harbour

Walking east on the Pyrmont Bridge you have to climb some stairs and walk across a cable-stayed footbridge to avoid being set down at a busy intersection. The footbridge over S.R. 40 is a 240 ft long, two-span steel bridge with four cables in a fan-arrangement descending from each tower leg. The bridge looks slightly out of place next to the ornate Pyrmont Bridge but reflects the eclectic nature of Sydney. We'll take another look at this bridge tomorrow.

Australia's Bridges: Footbridge over State Route 40 in Darling Harbour, Sydney (1) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.