Footbridge Bourg-lès-Valence opens to the public, Bourg-lès-Valence (FR)

We are excited to announce the opening of a new major infrastructure project in France. This 246 m long bridge (106 m in steel, 120 m concrete, 20 m viewpoint) spans the A7-highway, known as the ‘Autoroute du soleil’. It is much more than a signal or landmark on the motorway. The pedestrian bridge reconnects the city to the banks of the Rhone and the Girodet island, which had been cut off with the construction of the motorway since 1965. The entire public space was redesigned as a park landscape by Michel Devignes Paysagiste. Ney & Partners won the architecture & engineering competition back in 2016. The design pays utmost attention to the smooth integration into the city fabric. The routing, the experience of the walk, the viewpoint and the connecting with nature was carefully taken into account. The technical challenges were quite stringent especially as an old footbridge had to be removed on the same spot and the interruption of traffic on the A7 had to be kept to a minimum. For more information see the links to the project and de website.

A beautiful realisation realised with the clients: Municipality of Bourg-lès-Valence, landscape architect Michel Desvignes. The design team was completed by the landscape architect Eric-Pierre Ménard (paysagiste), the civil engineering office Otéis and the lighting designer Scène Publique.

Credit photo: Yannis Buliard / Ville de Bourg-lès-Valence