New York, NY – The Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge has been awarded the Jury Grand National Prize for Engineering by the French Ministry of Ecology. It is a very prestigious Public Works Prize that is awarded each year by the French Government. The jury noted that the bridge was “complex, high tech and everything was subject to innovations.” Prior winners include the Widening of the Panama Canal and the Dubai Metro.

H&H provided conceptual design, detailed final design, and construction support and supervision for the lift bridge mechanization and operating systems, working in conjunction with the Vinci Group, the Design-Build Contractor, and the Design Consortium of EGIS Jean Muller International; Michel Virlogeux; and Lavigne-Cheron Architects. The design resulted in a highly efficient system that allowed for light appearance of the bridge elements and towers.

The lift span has a symmetric cross section and carries four traffic lanes—two monorail tracks and two outboard sidewalk/bikeways. Four independent pylon towers, one at each corner of the lift span, will allow a counterweight (a quarter of the total lift span weight) to travel vertically inside each pylon. Operation of the lift span is achieved via high strength wire ropes passing over sheaves that connect the lift span to the counterweights. The bridge spans approximately 383 feet long, with an out-to-out width of approximately 141 feet, and a design lift height of 164 feet.

For more information on the Jacques Chaban-Delmas project, click here.