Pont de l'Europe, Steel arch bridge in Orléans, France
The Pont de l'Europe is a steel arch bridge spanning the Loire River in Orléans with an asymmetrical design and 28 pairs of suspension cables along its edges. It accommodates four traffic lanes and pedestrian paths with a total width of 25 meters.
A design competition launched in late 1996 chose the team of Setec TPI, Santiago Calatrava and Signes. Because the Loire's karst subsoil is riddled with dissolution cavities, the designers limited the piers and used the existing islands, giving a main span of 201.60 m. Built from 1998 to 2000, the bridge was inaugurated on 20 November 2000 in the presence of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
The bridge's name refers to its role as a crossing, and its inclined arch stands at the western edge of the deck between the roadway and the pavement, at an angle of 22 degrees to the vertical. The 28 pairs of closed cables, spaced about 4.20 m apart, are anchored to the deck by traction bars on plates inside the steel box.
The crossing links two neighborhoods and provides safe routes for both pedestrians and vehicles. The wide design facilitates traffic flow, and designated pedestrian areas are separated from the roadway.
The arch leans 22 degrees from vertical and sits between the roadway and the walkway on the western edge of the deck, rather than in the middle. Its 28 pairs of locked cables, spaced about 4.20 m apart, carry the 201.60 m main span. The angle was chosen to centre the deck's load on the tripod supports.
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