The Brault bridge which spans the Sèvre Niortaise is cut off from traffic. The work should take another three weeks. The passage between Charente-Maritime and Vendée is disrupted.
It is the cylinder that makes it possible to raise and lower the bridge which suddenly broke on May 18th. Since then, the Brault bridge, which connects Charente-Maritime to Vendée, has been closed to traffic. Specialists do not yet know why this failure could have occurred. “For the moment, we have no explanation other than fatigue which may have accelerated “estimates Frédéric Caron, the director of infrastructure for Charente-Maritime. And to continue “It’s a structure that dates from 1977 and was planned for 3,000 vehicles per day. Today, we have up to 12,000 vehicles per day, including more than 1,000 heavy goods vehicles, so that can explain fatigue additional.”, he concludes.
While waiting for the analyzes to be carried out, traffic on the road is interrupted and motorists must make detours. “It will be via Marans, or, for those arriving from Nantes, via Niort” explains Gérard Pons the vice-president of the departmental council of Charente-Maritime.
Boat traffic is also at a standstill, shipping companies have stopped their activities. The bridge, which is in a vertical position, offers a catch in the wind and could give way with gusts of just 30 km/h.
This incident also affects trade in Marans, as explained by Jean-Marc Bodin, the mayor of the town. “There is a big traffic deficit, and businesses, such as the Super U, which shows a 30% drop in attendance. The store had to cancel summer contracts that were planned.”
The work will cost 40 million euros, shared by the departments of Vendée and Charente-Maritime. They should last another three weeks.
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