Between Drôme and Ardèche, a suspension bridge from 1827, one of the oldest in France still open to traffic, has long worried residents. Concerns that became even more acute after the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn drama. Prohibited for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, the structure that links the villages of Andance (Ardèche) and Andancette (Drôme) is regularly used by heavier trucks, denounce residents.
A non-compliance with the regulations which caused the collapse of the Mirepoix bridge, prohibited for vehicles over 16 tonnes and which yielded under the weight of a truck three times heavier. Two people lost their lives on November 18, 2019. On each side of the Rhône, this drama was like a bomb. "It could happen to us, we all say it," says Élodie Dachis, resident of Andance. "And it's not a few more bolts that will change things."
The question of funding
Last summer, the structure was renovated for four months. But this investment of more than a million euros is far from enough according to the inhabitants. “I have heard of a new bridge since I was 10 years old. Today, I have 35 and there is still nothing ”, regrets a local resident. The replacement of the structure is a sea serpent. "Everyone is passing the buck", deplores Pierre Jouvet, president of the community of communes Porte de DrômArdèche.
The Ardèche department, which is responsible for the bridge, considers that the current structure is "in good condition". “Maintenance work is carried out regularly; the tonnage was limited in 2013 to improve safety… This bridge is not dangerous, ”he says. But difficult to evacuate the subject after the Mirepoix accident. At the end of December, the region announced that school buses would no longer cross the bridge in 2020. They will cross the Rhône ten kilometers further, at Sablons or Saint-Vallier.
Traffic could greatly increase
As for the two departments concerned, they scheduled a meeting at the start of the year. If both seem to consider that a new bridge is necessary, the question of funding remains unresolved. In the meantime, the suspended carriageway continues to support 8,000 vehicles per day, including heavy goods vehicles. “In November, there were at least eight infractions. Seven of which weigh 40 tonnes, ”said the mayor of Andance Alain Delaleuf.
In addition to the solidity of the bridge, it is also the narrowness of its roadway which poses problem. "Cars have room to cross paths in the middle, but not at entrances and exits," said a trader from Andancette. The 1,400 inhabitants of the village have seen traffic increase from year to year. In ten years, the increase is estimated at more than 60% by local elected officials. In 2025, with the opening of a nearby motorway interchange, this figure could double again. The bridge will then be on the point of celebrating its 200 years of existence.
Toulouse
Opening of a judicial investigation for "involuntary killings" after the collapse of the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn bridge
Bordeaux
"We have to go from the Aquitaine bridge to the New Aquitaine bridge" pleads MP Benoit Simian
- Bridge
- Collapse
- Road
- Society