BRIDGESPOTTING

A prominent part of the iconic view from the tip of the Ile de la Citè in Paris is the Pont des Arts. This is possibly the best known of the Paris bridges, at least from depictions in movies, TV shows, and guidebooks. The current bridge was built in 1984, but is a replica, and was originally built, in almost this exact form, in 1803. The bridge is a perfect example of how beautiful architecture and technology can be. A narrow, pedestrian-only bridge, the structure is a series of steel-ribbed arches. On some arch bridges, the space between the arch and the deck, known as the spandrel, is a solid wall. These are closed-spandrel bridges. On others, the space consists of vertical supports or mini-arches sitting on the main arch, and extending up to support the deck above. These are known as open-spandrels, and this space is often used for decorative purposes. On the Pont des Arts, the space is almost completely open, being spanned only by a few curved, flimsy-looking steel ribs. This web appears to be too light and fluffy to be able to hold itself up, let alone the masses of tourists crossing at any given time.

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There is a detailed description of a walking tour of all of the Seine bridges in Paris, including the Pont des Arts, in Chapter 9 of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.