Viaduc de la Maine, Highway bridge in Angers, France

The Viaduc de la Maine is a curved viaduct carrying the A11 motorway over the Maine. Its 530-metre steel-concrete deck, 21 metres wide, rests on two abutments and eight piers, two of which stand in the river. The deck is formed by two longitudinal steel beams linked by transverse beams under a reinforced concrete slab.

Construction of the Viaduc de la Maine began in 2006 and it was inaugurated in May 2008, completing the last motorway section of the A11 that lets drivers bypass Angers. The deck was pushed from one side with a launching nose, and the concrete slab was poured in 12-metre sections to follow a curve of 790 metres radius.

The transparent acoustic screen along the viaduct was obtained at the request of the mayor so that drivers keep a view of the Maine and Île Saint-Aubin. The bridge stands between the Pont de Segré, formerly the Angers–Segré railway link, and the Pont Jean-Moulin. Its 10 to 15 m piers were sized to leave room for river navigation.

The viaduct carries the A11 motorway over the Maine and is not a pedestrian crossing; walkers cannot cross it. The deck stands 10 to 15 metres above the water, a height set to keep the river navigable, and a transparent acoustic screen along the edge keeps the view of the Maine and Île Saint-Aubin open for drivers. The structure was sized so a second parallel viaduct can be added when traffic requires it.

The bridge sits between two other river crossings in the city, which gives it a special role in distributing traffic flow. This middle position allows it to connect different areas and reduce congestion on nearby passages.