Viaduc ferroviaire de Caronte
Historic site and monument Engineering structure Bridge
Presentation
The Caronte railway viaduct is the most important engineering structure on the railway line linking Miramas to Marseille since it must be fixed to cross the Caronte canal. How do liners navigate? We tell you everything!
943 meters long, 24 meters above the ground, it rests on 11 masonry piles built in the mud, some being buried 25 meters deep. At this height, it was impossible to cross the channel with a fixed structure given the clearance to be respected. The bridge therefore had to be mobile to be able to move aside when ships passed by.
Taking into account the need to establish two railway lines allowing the circulation in both directions of heavy trains, with a movable deck with a span of more than 40 meters since the beams of the largest sailboats or steamships exceed 25 meters , it was necessary to imagine a bridge made up of two spans: one fixed and the other pivoting of 114 meters which clears a pass of 43 meters.
The pivot on which the bridge rotates is made up of a bronze lens 83 centimeters in diameter, supporting a load of 1,450 tonnes and powered by a 100 horsepower gasoline engine allowing rotation at 90°C in 8 minutes.
Launched in 1908, work on the railway bridge was completed in 1915. On August 21, 1944, at 5 a.m., the retreating Germans blew up the bridge. The swing span and its pier are damaged. An important strategic point, the canal was cleared in December 1944 with the help of the Americans. Rail traffic is restored using a temporary rail bridge with a lifting deck. The bridge, subsequently rebuilt identically, retaining its initial mechanism, was inaugurated in 1954.
Taking into account the need to establish two railway lines allowing the circulation in both directions of heavy trains, with a movable deck with a span of more than 40 meters since the beams of the largest sailboats or steamships exceed 25 meters , it was necessary to imagine a bridge made up of two spans: one fixed and the other pivoting of 114 meters which clears a pass of 43 meters.
The pivot on which the bridge rotates is made up of a bronze lens 83 centimeters in diameter, supporting a load of 1,450 tonnes and powered by a 100 horsepower gasoline engine allowing rotation at 90°C in 8 minutes.
Launched in 1908, work on the railway bridge was completed in 1915. On August 21, 1944, at 5 a.m., the retreating Germans blew up the bridge. The swing span and its pier are damaged. An important strategic point, the canal was cleared in December 1944 with the help of the Americans. Rail traffic is restored using a temporary rail bridge with a lifting deck. The bridge, subsequently rebuilt identically, retaining its initial mechanism, was inaugurated in 1954.
Labels
- categories :
General information
- Environments :
- Town location
- Services :
- Pets welcome
- Period :
- 20th C
Services, Tours, Activities and entertainment
- Environments :
- Close to pleasure port
- Close to GR footpath
Accessibility
- Accessible to disabled visitors :
- Reception staff sensitized to the reception of people with disabilities
Contact
Viaduc ferroviaire de Caronte
Boulevard Maritime
Ferrières (Boulevard Maritime)
Jonquières (route du port pétrolier)
13500
Martigues
Phone : +33 4 42 40 60 60
Tarifs
Free access.
FICHE_INFO_SIMPLE_LIBELLE_DESTINATION
Viaduc ferroviaire de Caronte
Boulevard Maritime
Ferrières (Boulevard Maritime)
13500
Martigues
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 43.401618
Longitude : 5.024861