Saint-Nazaire Bridge, Cable-stayed bridge in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The Saint-Nazaire Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Loire estuary, with a 720 m metallic deck in three spans (158 m, 404 m, 158 m) and a 61 m clearance above the lowest water. Its deck rests on two rows of tall concrete piers, each split by a vertical slot, and two inverted-V steel pylons with red-and-white bands on their upper sections carry 72 stay cables in four fan-shaped planes.
Construction began in March 1972 and finished with the official opening in October 1975. Before its arrival, ferries carried passengers and vehicles across the estuary between both banks.
The bridge has no official name; "Saint-Nazaire Bridge" is a common usage, as with many French crossings. Its opening on 18 October 1975 ended the three-ferry service (Saint-Brevin, Saint-Christophe, Portland) that had crossed the estuary between Saint-Nazaire and Mindin. A private boatman briefly tried to keep a shuttle link but gave up for lack of profit.
The deck carries three road lanes, each 12 m wide between barriers, plus two 0.75 m service walkways. A reversible-lane system with folding barriers and illuminated red studs, in use since 25 August 2010, assigns a second lane to the busier direction. The speed limit is 70 km/h, and cyclists may be barred when winds reach 80 km/h.
Engineers installed a variable lane system that shifts the direction of traffic flow depending on demand throughout the day. This solution distributes vehicles more efficiently without adding extra lanes to the roadway.
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