Viaduc de Tolbiac (Paris)

1896

1896

Constructed in 1895 for the Ville de Paris, to carry a new street, the Rue Tolbiac, over the station yard of the Orleans Railway. Designed by M. Salles, Ingenieur des Ponts et Chaussees ; MM. Huet and de Tavergnier were in charge of the work, and Daydé & Pillé were the contractors.

The design and construction were described in some detail, and illustrated by photos and drawings. . It was '... absolutely essential that the bridge, erected over the lines of railway, should leave a sufficient headway for loaded wagons to pass, and that it should be supported upon as few piers as possible, there not being sufficient room to erect many intermediate supports on account of the crowded condition of the yard. At the point of crossing the clear width occupied by the railway is 531 ft. ; this dimension fixed the length which it was necessary should be given to the bridge, the width being 53 ft. On the other hand, it was an essential condition, on economical grounds, that the bridge should be made as light as possible, consistent with strength. In order to conform to these conditions, Mr. Salles investigated various types, amongst others he prepared a scheme for crossing with a single span; the design was simple, but it involved the adoption of very heavy proportions ; moreover, the depth available for construction was controlled by the levels of the new street, it being out of the question to adopt too steep a gradient between the bridge over the Seine and the Tolbiac Bridge. It was then decided to divide the structure into three spans resting on the intermediate piers. Of the three systems of construction, independent spans, continuous girders, and articulated girders, the latter system was adopted..... The Rue Tolbiac comprises three distinct parts ; first an arched masonry viaduct, which possesses no features of interest; this viaduct forms the connection between the bridge over the Seine and that crossing the railway. It is extended by a steel bridge 141 ft. 9 in. span, the ends of which rest on masonry piers and on three intermediate rows of cast-iron columns. Nothing need be said of the roadway and the sidewalks of this part of the work, as they are constructed upon well-known types. This 141-ft. span is carried on 12 longitudinal girders, of which the outer ones form the bearings for the sidewalks ; they rest upon transverse girders attached to intermediate columns, and are connected throughout by a system of crossbracing. The Tolbiac Bridge, which forms the third part of this considerable work, has a total length of 531 ft.; the central girders are 275 ft. 7 in. long between the centres of the articulated joints; the clear length of the span is 190 ft. 10 in., so that the girders are extended beyond the piers on each side for a distance of 39 ft. 4 in.; the outer spans are each 127 ft. 11 in. in length. ....'

It was dismantled in 1996

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