The Pont Gustave-Flaubert () is a vertical-lift bridge over the river Seine in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France. It was officially opened on 25 September 2008 after four years of construction.
The bridge itself cost approximately to build. Additional costs, including work to surrounding infrastructure and approach roads, brought the total cost to €137 million. Construction began in June 2004. Rouen City Council named the bridge after the 19th-century novelist Gustave Flaubert, who was born and died in Rouen.
History
The design team, included the engineering firm Arcadis NV and the consultancy firm Eurodim. The specialist machinery was designed by Aymeric Zublena, one of the architects of the Stade de France, and Michel Virlogeux, designer of the Pont de Normandie Bridge and the Millau Viaduct.
Construction
The contract for the bridge construction, without the approaching viaducts, was €60 million. It was won by Quille, a subsidiary of Bouygues, in association with the Eiffel company, Eiffage and the Belgian firm Victor Buyck. The déclaration d'utilité publique passed in September 2001.
Work began in June 2004 and the installation of "butterflies" (supporting trusses) at the top of the stanchions was completed on 16 and 17 August 2006; the approaches were completed on 21 and 22 August 2006.
On 14 April 2007, the barque Belem, which had been docked for a month, went under the bridge, after initial tests that allowed the bridge to lift enough to let her pass. A crowd from Rouen was present to celebrate the event.
Name
The bridge is named after the writer Gustave Flaubert. The name was finally chosen on 15 December 2006 by Rouen City Council of Rouen, after consultation with the people of Rouen who had a choice between Flaubert and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. It was previously known as "the sixth bridge".
Location
Two general routes were considered: A crossing of the Seine west of Grand Quevilly A crossing of the Seine east of Grand Quevilly and Petit Quevilly. The western route was dismissed because of the hilly, afforested terrain, and the second route chosen because of its greater proximity to the residential and business areas of central Rouen.
The bridge is near the interchange of the Autoroute de Normandie (A13), at its southern approach, via the RN338, A150 autoroute (from Barentin and Dieppe) and the slip road which connects the A29 and A28.
This link was intended to help the western districts of Rouen while providing the necessary connections to the industrial and commercial areas, and the Port of Rouen. Near its base at the right bank is an old port area undergoing redevelopment. The Maritime, Fluvial and Harbour Museum of Rouen is in this area. The left bank is a brownfield site that will probably be sold for redevelopment.
Structure
Several types of structure were considered. The essential requirement was to construct a Seine river crossing which allowed large vessels access to the Port of Rouen, upstream.
Fixed bridge, sea gauge: it would have been necessary for this type of structure to provide a clearance height of at the highest tide. But it would have been difficult to provide the approach roads, especially if their gradients were to be kept reasonably low, and it would not have been possible to provide interchanges near the bridge itself. However, this solution was used for the Cheviré Bridge that crosses the river Loire between at Nantes. Tunnel: this solution is expensive – both in construction and operation – and poses safety problems for the transportation of hazardous materials. Moreover, it is difficult to provide interchanges close to the river. This solution was used for the tunnel in the Old Port of Marseille. Fixed bridge, river gauge: this solution limits the clearance height to , which obviously prevents access for larger ships, both cargo and cruise ships which enter the heart of the city, and for ships entering the Rouen Armada. a pentennial festival of tall ships.
These various unsatisfactory solutions led the client to consider the fact that large ships only needed access beyond the bridge 20 to 30 times a year, so that three kinds of moveable bridge were considered: