These bridges and footbridges which disappeared after the floods in Haute-Loire

Beyond the consequences on homes and businesses, heavily affected by the floods of Thursday October 17, the flood of the Lignon also washed away or damaged several bridges and footbridges. In Chaudeyrolles, Fay-sur-Lignon, Les Vastres, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and Tence, the damage is enormous. It will take months to repair or replace all these structures, some of which had survived in 1980. Only the bridges on the departmental roads all withstood the flood of the Lignon. In Chaudeyrolles, where the very first bridge over the Lignon is located (at Louvèche), it is especially the one which allows you to reach the place called Titaud which suffered. The two structures had no barriers, but the banks were dug.The bridge located at the former body of water of Fay-sur-Lignon is completely obstructed by trees. The barriers were torn off or bent.

Downstream, in Fay-sur-Lignon, if the Pont du Mont of the RD 500 is intact, the one at the old body of water did not escape unscathed. “The barriers were swept away and the banks dug up. It remains closed,” explains the mayor of Fay, Christian Chorliet. A little further down, a footbridge next to the farm at a place called Mathias was seriously affected and the bank dug out, again. Further down, a modest bridge which provides access to Abriès was damaged. “The abutment on each side suffered. » On the Pinet stream, a tributary of the Lignon, a water passage with nozzles had been rebuilt a few days before the flood. “Everything was taken away,” laments the works assistant, Michel Faure.

The Moulin de Boyer Bridge still closed

In Vastres, the situation is more problematic. The Pont des Buffets and the Pont de la Chazotte have generally held up: despite the barriers being washed away and the banks dug, they remain open. But “the third stone bridge, which serves the Moulin de Boyer, worries us. Of the different arches, the largest is splitting,” notes Mayor Jean-Luc Chambon with regret. The right bank pile was also dug at the base. “It is a beautiful, magnificent work, which had already been damaged and repaired in 1980. We are counting on expertise to know what is going on. In the meantime, it is prohibited to traffic.” Which poses some concerns “because it is a real shortcut between Les Vastres and Le Mazet-Saint-Voy…”.In Vastres, the Moulin de Boyer bridge was damaged. One of the piles was dug under its base. For safety reasons, it was closed. An assessment must take place to know the extent of the damage to the structure.

In Chambon-sur-Lignon, ten bridges were damaged or destroyed on all rivers, even small tributaries of the Lignon such as the Monastier. On the Lignon itself, Sauron's bridge is cut. “The bank has gone several meters before the bridge which has not moved,” describes the mayor, Jean-Michel Eyraud. It remains to be seen whether the bank will be recreated or whether an additional span to the submersible structure will be added. Because the observation is there: “The bed of the Lignon has moved. »

October floods: Eure-et-Loir, Haute-Loire, Corrèze… State of natural disaster recognized in 380 municipalities

Further downstream, on the same river, the Pont de la Plage and Pont des Sautières were damaged and need to be monitored or repaired. “The Lignon dug there also next to the Pont des Sautières”. The Camp Joubert footbridge was swept away. The Pont de Salettes (bordering Le Mazet-Saint-Voy) is only open on one lane because the abutment on the right bank suffered from the flood.At the Sauron bridge in Chambon-sur-Lignon, it is the bank supporting the access road which has completely disappeared for around fifteen meters. The structure (a submersible concrete bridge) appears intact. A diagnosis will have to confirm this.

Very heavy damage to Tence

The most affected municipality, however, is that of Tence. Two bridges on the Lignon are today unusable and a footbridge has been taken by the waves. The latter, even if it was only used for hikers or mountain bikers, nevertheless deserves our attention. This is the Valletta footbridge, rebuilt a few years ago and which has allowed for more than 150 years to cross the Lignon just upstream of the Château du Besset. If the concrete deck had been swept away in 1980, this time, it was the central pier and the abutment on the left bank which were destroyed. The Himalayan footbridge system is perhaps not unrelated to this damage since the concrete anchor at the top of the pier resisted and the wooden deck as well as the cables have undoubtedly finished pulling the pier into the bed of the river.The trees remained in the middle of the Pont de la Papeterie in Tence. The structure was damaged by the flood and therefore remains closed. Beyond the barriers, it is especially the central pier which could have moved, as well as the abutment on the right bank of the Lignon. Two diagnoses have already been carried out and prudence dictates its temporary closure. “Fortunately, the RD 103 bridge is open, because otherwise, our town would be cut in two,” notes the mayor of Tence, David Salque-Pradier.

For the mayor of Tence, the priority is elsewhere. “We are still in the diagnostic phase of the damaged structures. The Pont de la Papeterie on the Lignon remains closed. The deck may have moved and we need more in-depth expertise, when the river has lowered, to verify it,” summarizes David Salque-Pradier. The Costerousse Bridge resisted, but the access road was washed away on the right bank, making the structure unusable. In addition to the Lignon, Tence was heavily affected by the flooding of the Sérigoule and the Mazeaux stream. “The Pont du Fieu and that of Costes are damaged (excavated approaches, collapsed parapets) and will have to be redone, that's for sure,” announces the elected official.

Lionel Ciochetto