The Noirmoutier Bridge (French: Pont de Noirmoutier) is a bridge located on the west coast of France in the department of Vendée, built in the early 1970s to connect the island of Noirmoutier to the mainland. Before it opened, a maritime shuttle service ran between the La Fosse pier on the island and Fromentine pier on the mainland.
Noirmoutier Bridge Pont de Noirmoutier | |
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Coordinates | 46°53′30″N 02°08′59″W / 46.89167°N 2.14972°W |
Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles |
Crosses | Strait of Fromentine, Bay of Biscay |
Locale | Vendée, Pays de la Loire |
Begins | La Barre-de-Monts (mainland) |
Ends | Barbâtre (island) |
Owner | Vendée Departmental Council |
Characteristics | |
Design | Box girder bridge |
Material | Prestressed concrete |
Trough construction | Hollow-core slab |
Total length | 583 metres (638 yd) |
Width | 13.5 metres (14.8 yd) |
Clearance above | open |
No. of lanes | 2 |
History | |
Constructed by | Dumez and Sacer (structural work), Freyssinet International (prestressing), Bureau Veritas (testing) |
Construction start | 1969 |
Construction end | 1971 |
Opened | 7 July 1971 |
Inaugurated | 7 July 1971 |
Replaces | ferry service |
Statistics | |
Toll | removed 1 July 1994 |
Location | |