Pont de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Road bridge in Mauges-sur-Loire, France
The pont de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a cable-stayed road bridge crossing the Loire River in Mauges-sur-Loire, France. Its reinforced concrete deck stretches about 208 meters, held by fan-shaped steel cables from a single pier that rises 28 meters above the water.
A first crossing project was studied in 1850 and built from 1851 as two arched bridges linked by a levee on Ile Batailleuse. Destroyed in 1940, it was replaced after the war, and the current cable-stayed version dates from 1966.
Local drivers use the crossing daily to move between Mauges-sur-Loire and the left bank, making it part of ordinary routines. Along the guardrails, small worn patches of asphalt show where people pause to look at the broad river and the low wooded shoreline.
You can cross the structure on foot or by car, and the roadside edges give a clear view of the river below. Early morning and late afternoon offer softer light without harsh glare on the water.
The single central support concentrates all the weight into one point, which was an unusual choice for a crossing of this width when it was built. Looking down from the railing, you can see how the fan of cables disappears into the concrete edge with no visible bolts or joints.
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