Bridge over the River Loire in Orleans, France

A new bridge over the River Loire to the west of Orleans links the village of Saint-Jean de la Ruelle to the north with that of Saint-Pryve-Saint-Mesmin to the south, and relieves traffic in the west of Orleans. The bridge, with a total length of 470 m, consists of a central arch bridge, entirely of steel, and two smaller bridges in concrete (33.6 and 58.8 m long) at the embankments. The bridge deck is suspended from the arch by means of two series of hangers. The inclined arch, which has already been used in other designs by Santiago Calatrava, gives a dynamic image to the bridge, which symbolizes the entrance to the city.