First bridge over the river
Garonne at Bordeaux, the Pont de pierre was planned and designed during the
First French Empire, under the orders of
Napoleon I. As he campaigned in Spain, he needed his troops cross rapidly the river, and the original project envisaged a wood bridge, easier to build. Until then, it was necessary to cross the river by boat. Due to lack of resources, the construction took place subsequently, during the
Bourbon Restoration, from 1819 to 1822. During these three years, the builders were faced with many challenges because of the strong
current and the high
tidal range, , at that point in the river. They used a
diving bell borrowed from the British to stabilise the bridge's pillars. crossing the
Pont de pierre The bridge has 17 arches (according to the legend the number of letters in the name 'Napoléon Bonaparte'). On the sides, each pile of bricks is capped by a white medallion that were to receive the
cipher of
Louis XVIII, a double L. It was the only bridge in Bordeaux until the completion of the railway bridge in 1860 and the only road bridge until the construction of in 1965. The bridge and its
tide is an important point in the
Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit, the logistic schedule transporting parts for the
Airbus A380 production. Since 2016, the condition of the bridge makes it now permanently closed to traffic except for pedestrians, cyclists, trams, buses, taxis and emergency vehicles. == Postage stamp ==