Pont de Térénez

I will always be a fan of cable-stayed bridges.  They all follow the same principle (deck cantilevered from the pier), but there is room for creativity in how this is achieved.  In contrast, there isn’t a whole lot of room for creativity in the design on a suspension bridge.  Most everything has been done in that case.  (I’m not saying that I don’t love suspension bridges – I’m just saying that there isn’t a whole lot of room for aesthetic creativity).

The latest bridge to catch my eye is the Pont de Térénez, in Bretagne, France.  (I guess in English that is the Terenez Bridge in Brittany, France… but why say it in English when we can say it in French?)  Here is a picture of it to catch all of your eyes, too:

Photo Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobia_scandolara/6208936016/

This bridge connects the mainland to the Crozon peninsula in northwest France.  This is actually the third bridge to be build in this area.  The first was a suspension bridge, built in 1925.  It was drestroyed in 1944 in the second world war by the Germans to stop the advancement of the allies.  Construction on its replacement (also suspension) was completed in 1951, however the bridge was supposed to have been put out of commission last year due to some kind of chemical deterioration in the concrete of the piers (which are the originals from the first bridge).  I think it’s still there, though… I’m not sure if they’ve just redirected traffic, or what… I hope they do something (or have done something) – the two bridges side by side is kind of reduntant…

Anyway, I love this bridge simply because of  its three main elements: its piers, cables, and deck.  They are designed in such a way that classifies this bridge as structural art.  Just look at the picture.  The leaning piers.  The fanned out, cradling cables.  The thin, curved deck.  (Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a curved deck used for a cable-stayed bridge that carries road traffic…)  The purpose (i.e. transporting cars from point A to point B) is achieved without sacrificing aesthetics.  Who wouldn’t love that?