The motorway viaduct allows the A55 to cross the Caronte canal. It is a complex work built from 1968 and put into service in August 1972.
Road traffic is intensifying and the municipality is considering a traffic alternative. The capacity of the Ferrières bridge is insufficient and the lifting of the Jonquières bridge, which regularly disrupts traffic flow, makes the city a funnel. In 1966, it was decided to establish another port in Fos-sur-Mer, annexed to that of Marseille for heavy industry. A motorway was then necessary and a motorway bridge was necessary to cross the Caronte Canal.
The motorway bridge was decided in 1968. Its commissioning took place in 1972.
To meet the purposes of motorway traffic which does not support any break, it is necessary to establish a fixed deck at a height of 50 meters and create an air draft of 45 meters under the key to the central arch.
The viaduct is made up of three parts: two side access viaducts and a single-piece central viaduct. The access viaducts are made of prestressed concrete, each made up of two twin structures 15 meters wide and composed of a succession of spans 45 meters long. They rest on thirteen double piers, some of which required special pile foundations.
The southern viaduct is 314.50 meters long, the northern one 250.50 meters. The central structure is a metal viaduct 300 meters long supported by two inclined supports. Made in welded construction on the Verminck quays by the French Metal Company, it was transported by barges and raised by high-power hydraulic jacks. The entire viaduct is 875 meters long and leaves a space of 135 meters wide and 43 meters high for maritime traffic.
The motorway bridge was decided in 1968. Its commissioning took place in 1972.
To meet the purposes of motorway traffic which does not support any break, it is necessary to establish a fixed deck at a height of 50 meters and create an air draft of 45 meters under the key to the central arch.
The viaduct is made up of three parts: two side access viaducts and a single-piece central viaduct. The access viaducts are made of prestressed concrete, each made up of two twin structures 15 meters wide and composed of a succession of spans 45 meters long. They rest on thirteen double piers, some of which required special pile foundations.
The southern viaduct is 314.50 meters long, the northern one 250.50 meters. The central structure is a metal viaduct 300 meters long supported by two inclined supports. Made in welded construction on the Verminck quays by the French Metal Company, it was transported by barges and raised by high-power hydraulic jacks. The entire viaduct is 875 meters long and leaves a space of 135 meters wide and 43 meters high for maritime traffic.