The Normandy Bridge was inaugurated on January 20, 1995, exactly 30 years ago. Spanning the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur, the structure was praised at the time for its technical prowess and its gigantism. A look back at the incredible history of an emblem of the region.
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On January 20, 1995, the first vehicles took the Normandy Bridge to cross the Seine estuary, between Le Havre in Seine-Maritime, and Honfleur in Calvados. This work, exceptional in many ways, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the time, Édouard Balladur.
Before its construction, only two structures made it possible to cross the Seine: the Tancarville bridge and the Brotonne bridge.
The increase in road traffic, particularly around the port of Le Havre, required the construction of a new footbridge over the estuary.
The engineer in charge of its construction is Michel Virlogeux, who designed more than 200 structures, including the Normandy bridge and the Millau viaduct.
It will take seven years to complete the construction of what was then the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
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The Normandy Bridge, a technological feat.
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©here Normandy
The Normandy Bridge had to face numerous technical constraints. Its specifications stipulated that it had to be high enough to allow large ships (up to 100,000 tonnes) to go up the Seine to Rouen.
It also had to withstand winds sometimes exceeding 130 km/hour, in the muddy environment of the Seine estuary. Challenges met in all respects, and even with honors!
The first sounds of the excavator sounded in 1988, and already the site presented itself as a challenge.
Two artificial islands are created to accommodate the pillars, for foundations which will plunge up to 54 meters deep into the limestone, buried under the mud of the Estuary.
In 1991, the German subcontractor in charge of these drillings and castings, of unprecedented technicality, encountered great difficulties. The CCI, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, must find four million francs at the time for the project to continue.
The piers of the viaducts and the pylons rise slowly. In 1993, the concrete roadway advanced above the two viaducts to the pillars. The central part of the deck retains this upturned airplane wing profile. It will be made of metal to defy gravity, suspended from 184 steel stays.
In 1994, the pushers were assembled, followed by the installation of the stay cables and the construction of the roadway.
It will take seven years to complete the construction of what was then the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Which is not much, given the difficulties encountered and the technological prowess implemented.
The Normandy Bridge therefore has extraordinary dimensions:
- The bridge is 2,141 meters long, or two kilometers above water.
- The pylons measure 214 meters in height (the equivalent of the Monparnasse Tower).
- The central suspended deck is 856 meters, a world record.
- The 184 stays used to suspend the bridge deck using cables were a record at the time.
- 2,000 workers worked on this site, or 10 million hours of work.
- The bridge cost 419 million euros.
- If there are preferential rates for locals and subscribers, count from 5.90 euros to 14.70 euros for the toll price for a passage, depending on the class of vehicle.
- More than 20 million vehicles use the bridge each year.
- A pedestrian path also allows the bravest to go from one bank to the other. Allow two hours for a round trip!
