The collapsed bridge of Mirepoix-su-Tarn, in Haute-Garonne. – B. Colin / 20 Minutes
- On November 18, 2019, the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn suspension bridge collapsed under the weight of an overloaded truck, causing the death of two people.
- After dismantling the aerial parts of the bridge, the companies tackle the clearing of the 600 tonnes of rubble buried in the waters of the Tarn.
- Long and complicated work which should be completed in October with the extraction of the truck and its drill, with an estimated weight of over 50 tonnes.
A year and a half after the collapse of the
Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, at the origin of the death of two people, the first rubble begins to be extracted from the river. Launched last December, the first phase had already made it possible to dismantle the aerial parts of this building which had given way under the weight of an overloaded truck.
From Monday until October, the companies selected by the Haute-Garonne departmental council, manager of this engineering structure, will focus on extracting the 600 tonnes of steel and concrete that made up the bridge deck. Rubble which will be numbered for the needs of the judicial investigation, before being listed and stored on a dedicated site.
Construction of tracks on the banks
This complex site will require the development on the right bank of a track from the existing bank of the river. A demolition crane and a lifting system with winches will be installed there. “On the left bank, on the Bessières side, the creation of a 35-meter ford on the river will make it possible to install a crane to raise heavy parts of the collapsed deck, previously cut into the Tarn, and then evacuate them by exceptional convoy . A specialized team of divers will be mobilized for all stages of the work, ”explains the departmental council.
Still buried at the bottom of the Tarn, several meters deep, the 20-ton truck and its 30-ton trailer must be removed at the end of the work. All of this work, financed by the community, will cost 2.5 million euros.
Once released, the site will host a new bridge for which technical studies are still in progress. A consultation should take place this fall on this ten million euro project.