Passerelle du Collège, Pedestrian bridge in central Lyon, France

Passerelle du Collège spans the Rhône River in three sections, connecting Quai Jean-Moulin to Quai Général-Sarrail via a walkway approximately 4 meters wide. The structure is straightforward in design and serves as a busy crossing point for pedestrians between the riverbanks.

Built from 1842 to 1844 by engineer Garella and contractor Santil, the footbridge collapsed on 7 December 1844 when a mooring bolt broke, killing eight workers; it opened on 7 September 1845. German forces blew it up on 1 September 1944, and it reopened on 3 September 1945 after rebuilding, with one pier rebuilt in dressed stone.

The bridge is named after the Collège de la Trinité, the Jesuit college founded in 1519 that became the Lycée Ampère; its walkway lands on the Passage Ménestrier, once part of that school. On 23 February 2026 the city renamed it Passerelle du Collège - famille Péju, honouring Élie Péju, co-founder of the Franc-Tireur resistance movement, his wife Marthe Capelle and their sons Raymond and Marcel.

The deck runs from Quai Jean-Moulin on the left bank to Quai Général-Sarrail on the right, resting on three piers. It is a pedestrian-only crossing, so expect heavy foot traffic at school opening and closing times. The 2025 restoration cleaned the stone of the two arches; the middle pier carries a commemorative inscription.

The middle pier carries a commemorative inscription, rebuilt in dressed stone after German forces dynamited the bridge on 1 September 1944. The original decorative scheme was lost in the 1945 reconstruction. Look for the small red-and-white sign on the deck near the central tower.