The arrival of the high-speed train in the city is considered an important event and an expression of an image of modernisation. The new bridge replaces an existing one that is a standard railway bridge design that can be found all over France. This bridge type was contemporary with and inspired by the work of Eiffel. It involves the using lateral beams composed of a diagonal mesh of small plate strips that are riveted together.

The design of the new bridge uses the same language of a diagonal mesh, but in a tubular from, to create a complete cylindrical volume through hich the users pass. Footbridges over railways require lateral protection for safety of both the users and the trains below. The complete volume provides a single structural solution that possesses the necessary inertia to span between the available support points as well as provide support for the required protective screens and a canopy cover.

Footbridge - photograph by Christian Richters

• ARCHITECTS: Bernard Tschumi and Hugh Dutton
• Location: La Roche sur Yon, France
• ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Bernard Tschumi Architects (BTA), joint representative, including general design and preliminary urban studies.
• ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN: Hugh Dutton Associates (HDA)
• BTA DESIGN TEAM: Schematic Design, Design Development: Francoise Akinosho, Ben Edelberg, Kim Starr.
• Construction Documents / Site Supervision : Véronique Descharrières, Vincent Prunier, Rémy Cointet, Alice Dufourmontelle
• HDA DESIGN TEAM : Pierluigi Bucci, Pierre Chassagne, Francesco Cingolani, Maria Angela Corsi, Pietro Demontis, Gaëtan Kolher, Cathy Shortle, Romain Stieltjes, Carla Zaccheddu
• CLIENT: City of Roche sur Yon
• PROJECT TEAM: SNCF – Engineering Departement, Jean-Marie Garnier
• Cost: $6,000,000
• CONTRACTOR: Renaudat Centre Constructions
• Photograhs: Christian Richters
• TECHNICAL DATA:
  • 67 meters (35+32 spans)
  • 201 square meters of concrete deck
  • 160 tons of total weight, of which 130 tons of steel ie 1,9 tons per linear meter
  • 76 circular diaphragms, 2100 compressive diagonals, 600 tensile rods
  • 4300 meters of profiles, about 10 km of welding, 1800 conical nodes

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