AAfter thirty-four years of good and loyal service, the museum footbridge was closed to the public due to significant deterioration, particularly from the point of view of corrosion on the welds of the assembly nodes and damage to the decking in drink. The municipality of Mont-de-Marsan has decided to replace it.
This structure was replaced by a similar building, made of “wood and painted aluminum”, better protected from corrosion. This change represents an investment of around 330,000 euros for the City of Mont-de-Marsan. A significant cost, but valuable for the daily lives of the inhabitants of the prefectural city. There are several hundred of them every day who use this route to cross the Midou.
Climbing the banks
This change has not been a long, quiet river. The operation took place this Tuesday, November 5. And it was spectacular to say the least. The new footbridge was delivered in three parts of fourteen meters each. They arrived from Inzinzac-Lochrist (Morbihan). It took seven months to produce.
This Tuesday, November 5, several specialized technicians worked on assembling the footbridge on site “to reach its 42 meters in length” on the banks of the Midou. Its other characteristics are just as impressive with a width of 2.2 meters and a total weight approaching almost 13 tonnes. It also has exotic wood decking. The latter has the advantage of being more resistant to bad weather and the ravages of time.
Installation in just a few minutes
The lifting operation did not take place without tension. The company was delayed by around four hours, which meant that work could not begin until midday. Finally, the footbridge was able to be installed at nightfall, thanks to a crane. “It takes about ten minutes from the moment you lift it to position it above its location,” explained the employee responsible for this delicate mission, a few minutes before committing. A maneuver carried out under the watchful eye of a few curious people, present despite a slightly cool temperature.
We had to wait half an hour to see the footbridge land above Midou. Once security was achieved, Mayor Charles Dayot and a few elected officials did not miss the opportunity to take their first steps on this new installation, which will be inaugurated in the coming weeks.
Another new feature is that the footbridge will be lit, which will provide comfort and safety to all users.
The footbridge was put in place at nightfall.
Matthieu Sartre
