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Mentions légales

Mairie de Bize-Minervois
Responsable de la Publication :
Alain Fabre
Maire de Bize-Minervois

Téléphone Mairie : 04 68 46 10 29
Hôtel de Ville
11120 Bize Minervois
 


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The bridge at Bize

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The bridge at Bize

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History of the bridge at Bize-Minervois from Roman times to today

Extracts from a brochure about the Bize bridge as shown on the Mairie (town hall) website by kind permission of the author, Mr Roger Monié.


The first written mention of the bridge at Bize appeared in a "History of Bize" by Albert Fabre, and goes back to 1390. Already at this time, it is destined to be destroyed by floods. The commentator refers to "a large stone bridge", whose "formidable piers" survived, and whose vestiges were again predicted in 1789. Some remains of these vestiges, containing some fragments of a marble, which could be from Saint-Pons de Thomières, were found during works in the Cesses in 1999. They were displaced on the left bank, where they are still visible in 2009 (see below: vestiges of the oldest known bridge in Bize).
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Throughout the centuries, the unpredictability of the Cesses was the cause of some very serious problems for Bize, where demolitions and reconstructions of bridges followed each other at an astonishing rate. The rate of failure increased at times, when temporary bridges, built to respond to urgent need, did not have the strength to resist the flooding. On several occasions the bridges, temporary or otherwise, were swept away before being finished.
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It is likely that the abutments and pillars remaining in 1390 were used to support wooden structures, intended to respond to emergencies, but which did not last long. So it was in 1779, according to Albert Fabre, that "a storm lasting from October 2nd to 3rd 1779 destroyed three big piers, which supported the wooden bridge. This bridge was completely swept away."
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In 1780, the community obtained permission from the Province to construct a wooden bridge supported by huge stone pillars. This bridge was to have two arches and to be constructed below the town, at a place where the river stretches over a very big area. They approached Mr Ducas, a builder, who took the plans and produced an estimate. The work started on the middle pier. It is thought that the site was chosen because the remains of a pier were still visible on the right bank, slightly upstream from "The Promenade."
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The builder Noë started work in May 1788 and continued intermittently. At the time, the town took steps to hurry things along. The next council reproached him for his slow progress.
His work was not complete on March 23rd 1790, when quite a strong river swell, not exceptional according to Albert Fabre, swept everything away, which had been built. In the discussion on March 23rd, the mayor seemed to be pleased that the work had not been completed by the builder Noë...
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The discussion concluded that the construction of the bridge had been made at a bad location.
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On May 6th 1832, the commune put together a specification for an "iron bridge" over the Cesse.
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The "iron suspension bridge" with three spans was approved by the Department of Civil Engineering on August 8th of the same year. It was built by Eugène and Lucien Grulet, engineers, resident in Paris, with suspension cables made from 120 strands of steel. (...) This bridge, completed in 1833 and restored in 1837, only lasted for a short time, as it was swept away by a strong flood in 1843.
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On October 23rd 1851, the commune initiated a project for a protective wall on the right bank "to prevent the destruction by a flood equal to that which swept away the suspension bridge" in 1843. The wall was to be 1.5 metres high above the old wall, 60 metres long, 60 centimetres thick, and costing 280 Francs.
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In the second half of the 19th century, when the industrialisation of France was occurring, the iron and steel industry seemed to provide a solution to most of the problems. The age of iron for Bize's bridges started at this time.
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A meeting of the town council approved the project to construct a metal structure over the Cesse. "The last (wooden structure), constructed 7 years ago, was in such a state of decay that traffic had to be stopped".
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This "modern" bridge, which cost 21,759 Francs, was doubtlessly hoped to last for a record length of time, but only lasted for around ten years.
September 12th 1875 will remain a tragic day in the history of the region due to the simultaneous flooding of several rivers.
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In Bize, the metal structure was swept away as a consequence of the accumulation of branches, which were carried along by the Cesse, and a break in a "plug of rock" under the natural bridge in Minerve. The masonry piers were not destroyed, but definitely damaged.
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On April 12th 1881, the Prefect approved a project to construct a bridge at Bize and approach roads over the Cesse, which would be 519.35 metres long, and which, for the first time, would provide the image of the current bridge.
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On April 23rd, the impatience and desire to finish at any price were obvious at the town council meeting: "even considering that the income of the commune is being constantly absorbed by the river, which has required four bridges to be built since 1843, (...) we give approval to the project, noting that the embankment on the left bank should be of the same height as that on the right, and to be known as the "Promenade."
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The commune contributed 40,000 Francs and also undertook the cutting back of the embankment (at a cost of 32,130 Francs).
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On May 20th 1882, the tender for the work was awarded to Meunier Antoine, a builder from Narbonne, for a sum of 124,947 Francs. (...) On November 20th of the same year, the district agent proposed a bill declaring the bridge for public use as a preliminary to the necessary compulsory purchases. The bill was signed on January 29th 1883 by Jules Grévy, President of the Republic.
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On May 15th 1884, the commune provisionally welcomed the bridge. Mr Serny Paul was mayor at the time.
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The construction of the bridge lasted a little under three years, which might seem comparatively short, considering the technical methods available in the 19th century. The loan of 90,000 Francs was completely repaid in 1918. It can be estimated that the cost of the bridge to the commune was around 100,000 Francs, as additional expenses incurred were incorporated into the ordinary budgets.
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Since 1884, Bize has seen one of the longest periods in its history without the bridge being destroyed, which is an indispensible means of communication to support its prosperity.


The brochure is on sale at the Bize-Minervois Mairie at a price of 5 Euros, with the proceeds going to the Mairie Committee for Social Action in Bize-Minervois.
Special thanks to our translator, Sue Ackloo.

Last Updated (Wednesday, 08 September 2010 15:50)