H&H was a member of the winning design-build team for the Jacques Chaban-Delmas Lift Bridge over the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France. The bridge spans approximately 383 feet long, an out-to-out width of approximately 141 feet, and a design lift height of 164 feet.
H&H provided conceptual design, detailed final design construction support, and supervision documents 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 lift span has a symmetric cross-section and carries four traffic lanes and two outboard sidewalk/bikeways. The bridge is designed to accommodate two light rail tracks for future use. 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. A wire rope winch drive operating system with electric motor and flux vector regenerative drives hauls in and payout the counterweights, thereby raising and lowering the lift span.
The bridge was dedicated on March 16th, 2013 by the President of France, Francois Hollande. It will handle 43,000 vehicles a day and will reduce traffic congestion in the Bordeaux region.
Project Accolades
