A footbridge built mainly in steel and wood, 173 meters long without central pillars and 4.5 meters wide, dedicated exclusively to soft modes and accessible to people with reduced mobility! The new structure which spans the Moselle and which links the station district and the historic center, in Thionville, is perhaps unique in France.
The idea of bringing the two shores of Thionville closer together by a bicycle / pedestrian bridge dates back to 2016. That year, the mayor Pierre Cuny, announced his wish to highlight soft modes of transport in the city.
Large grants
After five years of work, the Gateway to Europe is in place, ready for its opening to the public scheduled for December 18. It will have cost 6.8 M € including 5.3 M € of subsidies paid by the State, the Region, Europe… “It must be the most subsidized project in France”, estimates Pierre Cuny.
This footbridge is accompanied by major public space development work, raising the bill to € 9.7 million, on which the City receives € 1.5 million in VAT retrocession. Or a subsidy up to 71%.
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