Gignac Bridge
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: Pont de Gignac) carries the N109 road over the Hérault River
Hérault River
The Hérault is a river of southern France. Its length is . Its source is in the Cévennes mountains. It reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Agde...
, 1 km west of the town of Gignac
Gignac, Hérault
Gignac is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.Its inhabitants are called "Gignacois".-Sites:* Gignac Bridge over the Hérault River, completed 1810.* Church of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce...
in the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is described by a plaque on the side as "Judged the most beautiful bridge of the 18th century", a view shared by the Michelin Green Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
which describes it as "considered to be the finest 18C bridge in France because of its daring design and the beauty of its architectural lines."
Gignac Bridge has been protected since 1950 as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.
The bridge has three arches and is constructed from dressed limestone. Its dimensions are: length 174.76 m; height 20.64 m; width 9.80 m
(respectively, approximately 573, 68 and 32 feet.) The side arches span 25.97 m each and the central arch spans 50.72 m.
Construction began in 1776 to plans drawn up by the engineer Bertrand Garipuy, then Director of Public Works in the Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
province. He was succeeded by his nephew, Ducros, in 1782. The foundations and the side arches were in place by 1784. Delayed by the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the bridge was finally completed by chief engineers Billoin and Fontenay in 1810.
The building of the A750 motorway, and the opening on 11 June 2008 of the Languedoc Bridge , a few hundred metres downstream, has removed much of the traffic which previously used the Gignac Bridge.