Pont Sous-Terre, Road bridge in Geneva, Switzerland.
Pont Sous-Terre is a concrete bridge that crosses the Rhone River between the Saint-Jean and La Jonction districts, integrated into the slope of the terrain. The structure permanently links these neighborhoods across the water and carries traffic between them.
A private pedestrian footbridge crossed the Rhone here from 1891 and was given to the State of Geneva in 1921. It stood until 1968, when the present road bridge was built as part of a traffic plan linking the Jeunes semi-motorway to Cornavin station. Excavations for the new bridge revealed the foundations of the Saint-Jean priory, destroyed in 1535 and lost since.
The name "Sous-Terre" ("under the ground") comes from the first crossing, a private footbridge of 1891 that lay almost buried in the terrain. The bridge links the Quai du Rhône on the left bank with the Quai de Seujet on the right, and its 6% slope carries the roadway down between Saint-Jean and La Jonction.
The bridge carries thousands of vehicles daily and serves as a major traffic link between the two districts. A pedestrian pathway is available, making it possible to cross on foot between the neighborhoods.
The name "Sous-Terre" refers to the bridge being almost buried below ground level when it was built in 1891 as a private pedestrian footbridge. A second upstream pavement was planned but never built for budget reasons; a temporary footbridge from 1976 stands beside the bridge instead.
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