Pont Gisclard, Steel railway bridge in Sauto, France.
Pont Gisclard is a steel cable-stayed railway bridge that spans 253 meters across the Têt River. The structure rests on masonry pillars and is supported by two metal pylons rising to 62 meters high.
Albert Gisclard designed this bridge in 1896, and Ferdinand Arnodin's company built it between 1905 and 1908 as part of the Ligne de Cerdagne railway line. It was classified as a historical monument in 1997.
The bridge bears its designer's name and is recognized by visitors as a remarkable feat of engineering. People use it daily as a working part of the railway connection through the Pyrenees.
The bridge is best viewed from viewpoints along the river or from the train that still uses it. The easiest access for visitors is from Villefranche-de-Conflent station, where you can see the structure and its surroundings.
The structure uses a specialized anchor system with alternating torsion cables developed by Ferdinand Arnodin. This system combined with triangulated bracing is unusual and makes it a remarkable technical solution of its era.
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