The Saint-Nazaire bridge, which suffered “significant damage” on Wednesday during an occupation by demonstrators protesting against the pension reform, will remain closed “until further notice”, the time to carry out checks security, announced the Loire-Atlantique department.
“Two gantries collapsed after being set on fire and multiple security damage identified: the Saint-Nazaire bridge suffered significant voluntary damage this Wednesday which prevents its reopening to traffic”, deplores its manager in a press release.
The time to carry out “a complete diagnosis of the bridge’s infrastructure” and the “first essential work, the Department is obliged to close the Saint-Nazaire bridge until further notice”, continues the department, which ensures make every effort to reopen it to traffic “as soon as possible”.
60 kilometer detour
Rescue services, such as ambulances and firefighters, will be authorized to cross the bridge, but other vehicles will have to make a long detour of several tens of kilometers via the Cheviré bridge near Nantes, to cross the Loire. The Loire ferry service has expanded its opening slots, specifies the Department.
“Faced with the significant damage that the Saint-Nazaire bridge has suffered and the impact that the closure of the bridge has on the daily lives of the inhabitants, the Department has decided to file a complaint”, adds Michel Ménard, president of the departmental council of Loire Atlantique.
A hundred demonstrators – dockers, handlers but also construction workers or from neighboring companies – had blocked this bridge at dawn, preventing all traffic.
The atmosphere was particularly tense on the spot and street furniture was set on fire, according to an AFP photographer, who saw a half-collapsed road gantry across the tracks after being engulfed in flames.
Entered into service in 1975, the cable-stayed bridge is the longest in France at 3,356 meters. 33,500 vehicles use it every day, specifies the Department.