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General Information

Name in local language: Viaduc des Fades
Beginning of works: 1901
Completion: 1909
Status: out of service

Project Type

Awards and Distinctions

Location

Location: , , ,
, , ,
Crosses:
  • Sioule River
Part of:
Coordinates: 45° 58' 18.52" N    2° 48' 10.45" E
Show coordinates on a map

Technical Information

Dimensions

total length 470.25 m
span lengths 115.20 m - 144 m - 115.20 m
number of spans 3
height above valley floor or water 132.5 m
number of tracks 1
abutment 1 height max. 22 m
length 24 m
arch span 14 m
abutment 2 length 70.25 m
piers height max. 92.33 m
dimensions at base 21.96 m x 11.64 m
dimensions at the top 11.00 m x 5.50 m
truss total length 375.40 m
weight ca. 2 604 t
depth 11.60 m
total width 7.80 m

Quantities

volume of masonry 37 135.20 m³

Materials

piers granite
truss steel
abutments masonry

Excerpt from Wikipedia

The Fades Viaduct (French:Viaduc des Fades) is a railway viaduct in the Puy-de-Dôme department, central France. At the time of its inauguration on 10 October 1909, it was the tallest bridge in the world, across all categories. As of 2010 it still is the tenth tallest railway viaduct in the world.

Overview

The Fades Viaduct is located close to Les Ancizes-Comps, in the Auvergne region, between the communes of Sauret-Besserve and Les Ancizes-Comps. It spans across the river Sioule. Its construction began on 28 October 1901. From 14 to 16 September 1909 it passed the performance tests, using a fully loaded train whose weight exceeded 1075 tons. It was opened on 10 October 1909, and put into service ten days later. What makes the Fades Viaduct exceptional is its monumental piers of quarried granite. Towering over 92 m in height they remain the tallest bridge piers ever built in traditional masonry. They each have a base larger than a tennis court.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Fades viaduct" and modified on July 22, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.

Participants

Owner
Design
Construction
Overseeing engineers

Relevant Web Sites

Relevant Publications

More publications...
  • About this
    data sheet
  • Structure-ID
    20002049
  • Published on:
    29/09/2001
  • Last updated on:
    04/09/2023
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