The 85m-long, 22m-wide structure will feature generous pavements for pedestrians, separate cycle paths in both directions, bus lanes, and a normal lane. Its design meets the environmental requirements of the Paris Climate Plan. Its steel structure allows use of recycled and recyclable material and - on the Salpêtrière side - a planted panoramic viewpoint will contribute to limiting hot spots and participate in the creation of the biodiversity corridor put in place on Paris’s Left Bank. More than a crossing, its designers want to create a public space “where people stop and look, a place that reveals and shows the urban landscape by opening up views of the close and far environment.”
So it’s as part of this development that Franki Fondation is setting up:
- Micropiles that will support the bridge piers;
- Piles under the western abutment (new lane) and retaining walls on either side;
- And rigid inserts under the excavated materials forming the new lane;
- A heavy defensive screen to allow civil engineering works on the western abutment.
The 12-person team is perfectly juggling all the constraints inherent in this project. The main two issues are working on an active station platform on a closed and very cramped site. As a result, transfers of equipment and supplies are only possible at night, during the very short period when the station is closed.
As the worksite is subject to Temporary Traffic Stoppages for the bridge’s launch, meeting the deadlines, which are very tight, is a challenge that the Franki Fondation teams are taking up hands down. The end of the foundation works is scheduled for the end of 2020.
Project owner: SEMAPA
General contractors: ARCADIS ESG / WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS / ARPENTERE
Technical inspection firm: SECO France
Consortium: Razel Bec Major Works Agency (head of consortium), Eiffage Métal, Franki Fondation.
