A file which drags on too long according to some and which crystallizes the annoyance of the inhabitants of the Hermitage. The Gauja footbridge, which has spanned Agen station for more than a century, no longer sees anyone passing through. Due to safety reasons, the footbridge has been closed since July 2023 after being examined by experts who reported significant corrosion problems. Built between 1911 and 1912, the Gauja footbridge represented an essential pedestrian link between the Ermitage district and the city center of Agen. However, in early March 2023, an inspection visit by SNCF engineering structure experts revealed serious concerns regarding the strength and stability of the structure. The initial report highlighted a risk of metal parts falling onto catenaries and railway tracks. The town of Agen is now considering either the rehabilitation of the existing footbridge or the construction of a new structure. Due to the complexity of the site, a global and integrated approach is necessary. Thus, project management was entrusted to SNCF Gares & Connexions to carry out studies prior to the work. This mission includes the definition of the technical solution to restore smooth pedestrian traffic between the Ermitage district and the city center of Agen. “The basic question is: Is the Gauja footbridge repairable or not? » recalled Jean Dionis, mayor of Agen, who presented the deliberation.
SNCF Gares & Connexions will entrust these studies to its multidisciplinary agency AREP, a subsidiary entirely owned by the public company. The main scenario envisaged is the rehabilitation of the existing Gauja footbridge, the feasibility of which will be assessed by a control report carried out by the APAVE design office, expected at the latest by the end of August 2024. “On the question should we make a new footbridge: two scenarios are presented:
- Deconstruction of the Gauja footbridge and creation of a new footbridge conforming to the characteristics defined by the city of Agen.
- Extension of the internal PMR footbridge at the SNCF station, serving platforms no. 1 and 2.
For these preliminary studies, the city of Agen will pay SNCF Gares & Connexions a contribution estimated at €80,000 excluding tax, or €96,000 including tax, with a tolerance of +/- 15%. The submission of the feasibility studies is expected within six months of signature, i.e. before December 31, 2024.
“People are in the same situation as in the first confinement, stuck at home. »
What is stuck, however, with the collective for the Gauja footbridge and the Agen opposition, is a lack of satisfactory temporary replacement proposals. “We say it again, this is an issue on which things must move,” began Pierre Dupont, opposition municipal councilor. “The basic scenario is the return to service of the footbridge, this is where there is a real source of conflict with the footbridge collective: the request is not only the restoration, but also the temporary security for rapid reopening. However, I see that this scenario does not appear in the deliberation, I deduce that it does not appear in what you are asking from the APAVE company and that is a problem. » Pierre Dupont notably highlighted that certain residents could no longer wait, some stuck at home in a situation similar to the first confinement. “If the question of security is not asked, we will never know. »
He mentioned that the collective had a quote from the company Baudin Chateauneuf to ensure the security of the footbridge. This quote was given directly to the mayor, accompanied by a t-shirt bearing the message “Bridge Priority”, “so that you think of them every day”, added the opposition councilor. The mayor, who laughed a little dully, was quick to reframe: “I will immediately remove the ambiguity: will the report make it possible to decide on repairability? Yes, I can’t be clearer than that. And I ask the collective not to remain in ambiguity: either they do their work as a collective or they do something else and that they have a little humility in this matter. » For the first city councilor, there must be “respect for the municipal administration which does its job. Humility would do everyone good, I say it clearly. (…) If it can be repaired, we will do it and properly. »
