Tardes viaduct, Railway bridge in Évaux-les-Bains and Budelière, France
The Tardes viaduct is a disused railway bridge carrying a single track on a wrought-iron lattice girder 250.5 m long, 8.3 m high and 5.5 m wide, supported by two granite piers. The taller west pier rises 59.95 m, the east pier 48.02 m, and the deck crosses the Tardes gorge at a height of 91.3 m.
Built between 1882 and 1885 by Gustave Eiffel's company in Levallois-Perret, with engineer Daigremont directing the works, the viaduct carried the single track of the Bourges–Miécaze line. The Montluçon–Eygurande section crossing the bridge opened to traffic on 13 June 1887. In the night of 26–27 January 1884 an orkan broke off 132 m of the partly launched girder and threw it into the gorge, causing long delays. No trains have run since March 2008.
The viaduct was inscribed as a monument historique on 15 January 1975, protecting the iron lattice deck and the granite piers. The line it carried, opened on 13 June 1887, closed to all trains in March 2008, so the bridge now stands unused above the Tardes gorge.
The best viewing spot is from the valley below, where you can see the entire structure set against the landscape. The area is accessible on foot, and there are several locations to photograph it from different angles.
This metal structure was officially recognized as a historic monument in 1975 and comes from a period when Eiffel was designing other projects besides his famous Paris tower. The viaduct shows the innovative techniques that would later define his career.
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