Chateaubriand Bridge, Modern concrete bridge in Brittany, France
The Chateaubriand Bridge is a concrete deck arch road bridge over the Rance, linking Plouër-sur-Rance in Côtes-d'Armor with La Ville-ès-Nonais in Ille-et-Vilaine. A single shallow light-grey arch sweeps beneath a straight, level deck painted red along its top edge. It carries the two-lane Route nationale 176, the only 3.5 km stretch of that otherwise dual-carriageway road.
Construction began in 1988 and was completed in 1990 under the direction of French architects and engineers. The project created a new road connection across the river that had been needed for the region.
The bridge takes its name from the French writer François-René de Chateaubriand and connects two small communities across the river. It has become a familiar landmark in the daily life of local residents.
The bridge carries the RN 176/E401, a busy two-lane-each-way route used by heavy trucks; there is no pedestrian crossing, so do not walk across. The deck is the only 3.5 km stretch reduced to one lane each way, so expect congestion. Widening work is planned from 2024.
The deck carries the Route nationale 176, which narrows to a single lane in each direction for 3.5 km at the bridge, while the rest of the route is dual carriageway. Plans to double the bridge's lanes, first envisaged for 2020, were scheduled to start in 2024, widening the existing structure rather than building a new one.
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