Bordeaux opens new lift bridge

EUROPE’S largest lift bridge has been opened in Bordeaux, with the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas spanning the River Garonne.

The central lift span is 117m long and can be lifted vertically up to 53m to let tall ships pass underneath. One of the first ships to pass under it was the historic three-masted schooner Belem.

President Hollande inaugurated the €160 million bridge, which connects the Bastide district near the city’s wharves with Bacalan. He named it after the late Jacques Chaban-Delmas, who was mayor of Bordeaux for 48 years.

The bridge is 575m long with the central lift span weighing around 2,600 tonnes. Its width varies from 32 to 45m and it will be used by cars, trams, cyclists and pedestrians. It can handle 43,000 vehicles a day and will reduce traffic congestion in Bordeaux.
Photo: Prométhée33