Simone Veil bridge, Road bridge in Bordeaux, France
The Simone Veil bridge is a beam bridge over the Garonne linking Bordeaux and Bègles on the left bank to Floirac on the right, near the Arkéa Arena. It is 549 metres long and 44 metres wide, with a concrete deck carried on a steel caisson structure and eight rows of piers. It has 2×2 car lanes, a dedicated public-transport lane in each direction, and pedestrian and cycle space covering 48% of its surface.
The bridge was designed by OMA under Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn, chosen in December 2013. Work began in September 2017 but stopped in June 2018 over a dispute on pier protection; after Bouygues took over the contract in December 2020, the two banks were joined on 20 January 2023. It opened to pedestrians and cyclists on 3 July 2024 and to traffic on 8 July 2024.
The bridge is named after Simone Veil (1927–2017), a French magistrate, politician and Holocaust survivor. It was long called pont Jean-Jacques-Bosc, after the boulevard it extends; on 10 July 2017 Alain Juppé announced the new name, agreed with her family. Its wide deck was designed as a public space for events, and its inauguration on 6 July 2024 featured DJ sets, games and shows.
The deck is 44 metres wide, with pedestrians and cyclists occupying 48 percent of the surface, so walkers and riders have ample room. Two bus lines, Liane 6 and Directe 54, run across it. The bridge links the boulevard Jean-Jacques Bosc in Bordeaux-Bègles with the Arkéa Arena in Floirac, 1.5 km upstream of the Saint-Jean rail bridge.
The deck rests on eight rows of piers, not eight pillars, and its concrete slab is carried by a steel caisson structure. The bridge was designed by OMA under Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn, and won the Équerre d'argent 2024 award in the infrastructure category.
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