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back in pictures on this spectacular construction site

On January 20, 1995, Édouard Balladur, then Prime Minister, cut the ribbon on a work whose construction had begun seven years earlier. Its establishment has largely contributed to mobility between Seine-Maritime, Eure and .

He has been a link between the Normans for 30 years. The Bridge, which connects the city of to Honfleur above the Seine estuary, celebrates its 30th anniversary this Monday.

Perched at a height of around fifty meters, it measures more than two kilometers. It is recognizable by its pylons. Each of them measures 204m, the height of the Montparnasse Tower, and weighs 20,000 tonnes. When it was put into service, it held the world record in its category with a range of 856 meters.

The project emerged in the 1980s. And it has all the makings of a technological challenge given the distances, the violence of the wind gusts (up to 180 km/h) blowing in this sector and the need to preserve navigation. on the river.

The construction of the Normandy Bridge in 1994. © JOEL SAGET / AFP
Welding work on the Normandy bridge in 1994. © JOEL SAGET / AFP

From Jacques Chirac to Édouard Balladur

The first stone was laid by the hands of Jacques Chirac, then Prime Minister, on March 22, 1988. Then the preparatory work began, before the start of the construction of the pylons in December 1991. In the summer of 1994, the junction of the voussoirs assembled at starting from both banks of the bridge allows the first crossing on foot. The total cost of the work is estimated at 419 million euros. A sum partially financed by a loan of 386 million euros.

The Normandy Bridge during the last months of construction in 1994. © JOEL SAGET / AFP
General view of the Normandy Bridge taken on January 7, 1995. © JOEL SAGET / AFP

It was Édouard Balladur who cut the ribbon on January 20, 1995. It was to him that two children, one from each bank of the Seine, handed over a pair of scissors placed on a purple cushion. The then Prime Minister is also a candidate for the future presidential election which Jacques Chirac will ultimately win against Lionel Jospin.

The Normandy Bridge on the day of its inauguration on January 20, 1995. © JOEL SAGET / AFP

Seven years of work, “it's both very long, but when we see the sum of the technical difficulties, it's still not a small thing to build, the sum of the environmental impact that obviously has to be taken into account taken into account, well we say to ourselves that it's still not bad”, smiles Édouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre, guest of Ici Normandie this Monday.

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Practical and aesthetic

The installation of the work greatly facilitated the mobility of the Normans. “Before the bridge, the estuary was really an obstacle for residents, including businesses, because they had to go to the two existing bridges to reach Le Havre. Likewise Le Havre towards the Eure and Calvados”, traces Alain Guesdon, first vice-president of the community of communes of Honfleur-Beuzeville, at the microphone of BFM Normandie.

Édouard Philippe shares this observation. According to the city councilor, the construction of the bridge allowed “opening of possibilities”, favoring “opening up from north to south for Le Havre”. “Since as far as the Normandy Bridge, we left for and then, we had access to the entire network,” says the mayor of Le Havre. “It opened up possibilities for road traffic, individuals but also trucks and therefore commerce for Le Havre.”

Frequented in 2023 by some eight million vehicles, the bridge “provides access to more housing, leisure and jobs”, observes Alain Guesdon. And even to attract tourists, emphasizes Édouard Philippe.

BFM Normandie went to the top of the Pont de Normandie to follow a team of rope access technicians. © BFM Normandy

Beyond the technical prowess and the practical aspect, the mayor of Le Havre believes that the Normand bridge has an aesthetic interest: “This kind of impression of height, of beauty too, because I find that the bridge is incredibly beautiful, lightness, finesse in his apron”.

Florian Bouhot Journalist BFM Régions

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