The 1st bridge dates back to the Middle Ages (1242) and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Pierre Debans replaced the obligation to use the ferry to cross the Charente by building a bridge according to Louis Dor's plans between 1841 and 1842 against a concession of 77 years. Its length is 623 meters including 90 meters for the longest span with a central deck measuring 204 meters. 3 piers support the bridge, two of which are on the right bank, and one on the left bank. It is connected to a masonry abutment with a total length of 416 meters and the access viaduct is entirely built on the left bank. The viaduct is supported by 51 ogival style arches. Its height is 23 meters with an air draft of 22 m above the water allowing ships to pass by chocking their parrot if necessary In 1883, signs of weakness in the bridge prompted testing of load control. The wooden apron collapsed during these. It was not until March 1884 that the bridge was consolidated by the installation of a metal frame intended to support the floor which, itself, remained in wood. Between 1934 and 1935, the deck was replaced and reinforced by the construction of pylons and metal cables. Despite this consolidation work, the Tonnay-Charente bridge has never succeeded in meeting the needs of modern road traffic. Car traffic was definitively banned after the construction of another bridge in the town of St Hippolyte in 1964. It was partially reopened to pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist traffic from 1975 to 2004, when all traffic was was again banned in order to allow the repair of the deck, cables and masonry. It was not until 2009 that pedestrian and cyclist traffic was able to resume on the central part of the apron. Unfortunately 2 years later, a new repair by replacing the chipboard with a planking in locust wood means that traffic has to stop again. These renovations, whose lifespan was estimated at around forty years, began to show their limits in 2015 (424 pieces were damaged according to the city's technical services). In 2021, the municipality is launching a new project aimed at taking over the deck, the metal parts and all of the masonry, for a budget estimated at the start of the project at 10 million euros.
This monument, listed in 1988, is one of the last survivors of the "wire bridges", 620 m long with its stone abutment.
Designed by Louis Dor, the bridge was completed in 11 months, inaugurated in April 1842. At the entrance remain the two toll stations, active until 1883, when the deck collapsed, which peaked at 22 m above the dock.
Engineer Arnodin reconstructs the deck, pylons, cables and guy lines. The new bridge is inaugurated during a sumptuous party with “electric light projection”.
He was saved from German destruction on August 24, 1944 by the Resistance. Passage of cars was prohibited there in 1964.
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