Gustave Flaubert Bridge

The Gustave Flaubert Road and Pedestrian Bridge crosses the Seine River in Rouen, northern France. The bridge was opened in September 2008 on the eve of the annual sailing regatta “Ruen Armada”.

A distinctive feature of the highest European drawbridge is the verticality of lifting spans to a height of 55 meters, and the support columns of the drawbridge rise by 91 meters. One might assume that the twenty-first-century French writer Gustave Flaubert would have been very, very shocked to know which bridge bears his name.

The bridge is designed in such a way that cruise ships and sailboats that are going to Rouen for the Ruan Armada ship parade could pass freely under it.

The bridge lift plate rises approximately 12 minutes 30-40 times a year. Each “bridge highway” is a two-lane, measuring 2x18 meters plus a pedestrian strip of 2.5 meters has its own lifting mechanism. When working the bridge, they work simultaneously.

Interestingly, each canvas of the highway has its own lifting section. On the one hand, it facilitates the operation of the main mechanisms, on the other hand, it helps to maintain the natural ecosystem of the river. Through the openings between the bridge platforms, sunlight reaches the water under the bridge.

Its capacity is 50,000 cars per day, and the cost was 155 million euros.

With the opening of a unique bridge for France, the number of tourists in Rouen has also increased. People come here to see the original project of a talented architect. The views from the bridge are also extraordinary - from there a panorama of the city opens, and below - the unrestrained waters of the most beautiful French reservoir.