It had been closed to traffic on Wednesday after the collapse of a fire gantry. Last night, the Saint-Nazaire bridge was cleaned and restored to accommodate vehicles. According to a press release from the Loire-Atlantique department, “traffic on the Saint-Nazaire bridge has again been possible since last night, on one lane in each direction”. Since Wednesday and the departure of the demonstrators, the agents of the department have worked to restore the equipment by removing the gates, organizing the markings and securing the roadway. The bridge was able to reopen at 1:30 a.m. this Thursday morning, when a new day of mobilization is announced against the pension reform. “Work will be necessary to restore the degraded equipment. It is recommended to remain cautious on the roads and to keep informed of the traffic conditions in place, ”specifies the department.
From dawn on Wednesday, a hundred demonstrators – dockers, handlers but also construction workers or from neighboring companies – blocked the area around the site, preventing any vehicle traffic. The atmosphere was particularly tense on the spot and street furniture was set on fire, like this half-collapsed road gantry across the tracks; after being engulfed in flames.
The demonstrators freed the scene around 2:30 p.m. but traffic on the longest bridge in France which spans the Loire estuary between Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Brévin-les-Pins could not resume before nightfall. “Two gantries collapsed after being set on fire and multiple security damages have been identified”, explained the department. The closure forced motorists to make a detour of 60 kilometers to Nantes to cross the Loire. The department filed a complaint.