The City Council in Bienne has accepted the credit of 4.5 million francs for the sanitation work on Place Centrale. The renovations are expected to last two years.
Place for meetings, events or parties: Place Centrale, crossed every day by buses, cars and pedestrians, is the heart of the city of Bienne.
The last major works on the esplanade date from 2001, when a yellow coating on the ground, now emblematic, was applied and a 20km/ha zone was decreed.
“The square works very well like this. We often have visits from other cities which take it as an example”, assures Roger Racordon, responsible for infrastructure for the City of Bienne, in the 12:30 p.m. of the RTS.
Necessary work
Place Centrale, under which the Suze flows directly to the lake, must now undergo total sanitation.
“The load-bearing construction is 120 years old. People used to pass by with horses and teams. Now there are buses and trucks that [traversent la place]it’s a completely different use”, underlines Roger Racordon.
“The bridge is tired. If we did not carry out sanitation, we would have to limit the loads,” he adds.
Crossing for pedestrians and buses
During the works, it will not be possible to completely divert traffic. “The bridge has a certain width, so we can work in phases,” explains the manager.
Pedestrians and buses will thus be able to continue to cross the esplanade, “but for events such as the flea market or the carnival, we will have to take into account changes”, warns Roger Racordon.
The famous square should nevertheless remain yellow.
Célia Bertholet/iar
News-Swiss
