The Plougastel Bridge, or Albert-Louppe Bridge, is a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, connecting
Plougastel-Daoulas
Plougastel-Daoulas (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department, located in the administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Plougastel-Daoulas are called ''plougastels'' in French.
Breton language
Th ...
and
Le Relecq-Kerhuon
Le Relecq-Kerhuon (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.
Population
Inhabitants of Le Relecq-Kerhuon are called in French ''Relecquois'' or ''Kerhorres''.
Breton language
The municipality launch ...
.
Construction on the Plougastel Bridge started in 1926 and was completed on 9 October 1930. Part of it was destroyed by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
army in 1944, and shortly after was closed for repair. It was reopened after the widening and construction five years later. Between 1991 and 1994 another bridge, the
Pont de l'Iroise
The (, literally ''Bridge of the Iroise'') is a cable-stayed bridge in Finistère, Brittany, France, which spans the Élorn river where it enters the roadstead of Brest. It carries route nationale 165, the road between Brest, France, Brest and Qui ...
, was built parallel to this bridge. Today the Plougastel carries tractor, pedestrian and bicycle traffic and is a landmark on the route of the
Paris–Brest–Paris
Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP) is a long-distance cycling event. It was originally a bicycle race in France from Paris to Brest and back to Paris in 1891. The last time it was run as a race was 1951. The most recent edition of PBP was held on 20 ...
bicycle event.
The Plougastel Bridge is an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...
, or has a fixed, double deck structure. The arches are composed of concrete and have a total length of around 888m. The three major spans are 188 m but sometimes said to be 186 m.
The engineer who constructed the bridge was named
Eugène Freyssinet
Eugène Freyssinet () (13 July 1879 – 8 June 1962) was a French structural and civil engineer. He was the major pioneer of prestressed concrete.
Biography
Freyssinet was born in at Objat, Corrèze, France. He worked in the ''École Nationale d ...
, and the president of the committee managing the project was Albert Louppe, an explosives engineer who pursued a parallel career in politics, becoming the
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...