The Pont de Brignoud, burnt down in early April by a very likely criminal act, will be reopened very gradually, good news for traffic in the area. The Departmental Council of Isère explains this Monday evening to have guarantees on the security of the building. It will therefore be accessible to pedestrians again from next Monday, May 2. Experts commissioned by the Department of Isère gave the green light, three weeks after the arson attack that damaged the structure. Part of the bridge will therefore be open to pedestrians, the time to clean it and mark out one of the sidewalks.
Dismount to cross
As it is and without intervention, the bridge cannot support the weight of the cars
Cyclists will have to dismount to cross. As for the cars, the reopening is not yet on the agenda, the expertise is continuing. “As it stands and without intervention, the bridge cannot support the weight of cars, or more generally of light vehicles. Its structure has been damaged too much by the flames. This is why the Department is carrying out extensive expertise and taking samples which will be taken on site. In concrete terms, in the coming weeks, core samples will be taken by specialized laboratories, under the structure of the bridge. They will be analyzed under an electron microscope to find out precisely how the reinforced concrete resisted the fire. Depending on what these samples reveal, the Department will be able to determine the scenario that will allow the bridge to be reopened to light vehicle traffic.“.
User safety, speed of work
This choice will be made according to two criteria: the safety of users and the speed of the work. The analyzes will be sent to the Department in July. If they are conclusive, work could be carried out and last from 4 to 6 months. This would open up traffic to cars. As far as heavy goods vehicles are concerned, it will probably be necessary to wait several years and the construction of a new bridge still indicates the Departmental Council in this press release.