Pont de Grenelle bridge in Paris
The Pont de Grenelle is one of the bridges over the River Seine and this particular one meets the Ile aux Cygnes island at its tip where the Statue of Liberty stands, and is a fairly recent bridge in Paris that was only constructed in the 1960s.
A bit of history
It was back in 1827 that a wooden bridge with a toll was designed by Mallet and put in place where the current Pont de Grenelle bridge now stands, and although repairs were undertaken over the next few years, it started to collapse under the weight of traffic caused by a celebration that took place in the July of 1873.
It was this incident that caused the city of Paris to decide to replace the bridge rather than make more repairs, and this new bridge would be designed by Paul Vaudrey, who also was the engineer that designed instruments that were first used for recording deflection during load and vibration tests on bridges.
The new construction was a six arch cast iron bridge spanning the River Seine that would meet on the Ile aux Cygnes island, and included a platform area in the middle of the river where a replica Statue of Liberty produced by the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi was to be located.
However, by the start of the 1900s the bridge was showing signs of wear due to an increase in both road and river traffic, and was starting to become incapable of handling these increases, yet a decision to replace the Pont de Grenelle was only made in 1961 when the riverside area was also being renovated.
About the Pont de Grenelle in Paris
The new Pont de Grenelle was designed by engineers Thenault, Grattesat and Pilon, which comprises two main metal spans that cross the two branches of the River Seine, along with a span going over the Ile aux Cygnes and two concrete spans over the expressways, which are located on both sides of the river.
This bridge in Paris, known as a steel girder bridge, was constructed between 1966 and 1968, but it also meant that the tip of the island had to be modified, so that the Statue of Liberty monument could be joined to the bridge by a walkway, and therefore the Pont de Grenelle travels behind this monument in Paris.
Visiting the Pont de Grenelle
You will find the Pont de Grenelle going from the Quai de Grenelle in the 15th Arrondissement on the left bank in an area known as the Front de Seine with its high rises. And it goes over to the Quai Louis Bleriot in the 16th Arrondissement on the right bank of the River Seine, which is often known as the Passy area, that is a very affluent area with many prestigious buildings, museums and the famous Roland Garros stadium.
When it comes to public transport, the nearest Metro station is the Javel - Andre Citroen stop by the Pont Mirabeau and there is an RER station called Javel located here as well.
Alternatively if you are upstream by the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge at the opposite end of the Ile aux Cygnes island with the France Renaissante statue, then you have the Bir-Hakeim Metro station on the same bank, or on the opposite side of the river is the Passy Metro stop, right by the Musee du Vin Wine Museum.
