The Pont de l’Alma

(Photo : ENPC)

The original bridge was built by the engineer Gariel between 1854 and 1856 and commemorated the 1854 French and British victory over the Russians in the Crimea. This masonry structure had three elliptical arches; four 6 metre high figures, including the famous statue of a Zouave by Georges Diébolt, stood on the noses of the piers. Because it was too narrow and had sagged by almost 80 cm, this bridge was demolished in 1970. A metal bridge was built between 1970 and 1974.

In order to avoid the settlement problems that had affected the first bridge, the foundations were dug to a depth of 40 metres and the abutments built on reinforced

The Zouave on a pier of the new bridge

(Photo : ENPC)

concrete piles. The new Pont de l’Alma consisted of two uninterrupted spans of 110 and 31.5m. The deck is in two mechanically independent halves which are connected by a central footpath.

The Zouave statue has been put back in place on the upstream nose of the single remaining pier and the other statues have found homes in various parts of the provinces. This statue has always been used by Parisians to measure the height of the river, particularly during spates. During the dreadful floods of 1910, when the river rose to a height of 8.62m and flooded many parts of Paris, only the statue’s head was visible.

The Zouave of the Pont de l’Alma on a pier of the old masonry bridge

(Photo : ENPC)

Designers: the engineers J.F.COSNE and Ch.BLANC and the architects A.ARSAC and M.DOUGNAC

Contractors: DODIN - CFEM

Construction date: May 1970 to June 1974

Total length: 142.50m

Effective width: 42m : two 14m carriageways; two 6m footpaths; a 2m central reservation

Constructional features: Metal structure consisting of two independent bridges joined side by side. Each half of the bridge consists of two welded high strength steel caissons of varying thickness.