Aquitaine Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Pont d'Aquitaine is a large suspension bridge
over the Garonne
, north-west of the city of Bordeaux
, in France
. It forms part of the ring-road of Bordeaux and carries the A630 autoroute
. It was completed in 1967 and its main span is 394 m (1,292.7 ft) long.
The northern and southern aspects of the bridge are dramatically different. To the north there is a ridge of land which allows the roadway to enter the bridge with little or no slope. By contrast, to the south there is an area of flat land, forming part of the Medoc
, which means the roadway across the bridge slopes dramatically upwards in order to gain sufficient height to enter the bridge.
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
over the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
, north-west of the city of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It forms part of the ring-road of Bordeaux and carries the A630 autoroute
A630 autoroute
The A630 autoroute is a motorway in south west France. It is the périphérique for Bordeaux and forms part of the European routes E5 E70.It is 2x2 lanes but has been widened to 2x3 lanes. The road was started in 1972 and completed in 1983...
. It was completed in 1967 and its main span is 394 m (1,292.7 ft) long.
The northern and southern aspects of the bridge are dramatically different. To the north there is a ridge of land which allows the roadway to enter the bridge with little or no slope. By contrast, to the south there is an area of flat land, forming part of the Medoc
Médoc
The Médoc is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from Medullicus, or "country of the Medulli", the local Celtic tribe...
, which means the roadway across the bridge slopes dramatically upwards in order to gain sufficient height to enter the bridge.