France’s ageing bridge problem highlighted

The recent fatal bridge disaster in the Italian city of Genoa has triggered questions being asked about the state of France’s bridges. And with around 33% of France’s 12,000 or so bridges now known to require repairs, there is an understandable cause for concern.
August 17, 2018 Read time: 1 min
The recent fatal bridge disaster in the Italian city of Genoa has triggered questions being asked about the state of France’s bridges. And with around 33% of France’s 12,000 or so bridges now known to require repairs, there is an understandable cause for concern.


The vast majority of French bridges in need of attention merely require comparatively small repairs or upgrades. But some 7% of the structures are suffering more serious problems and may have to be either completely rebuilt, or demolished and replaced. Meanwhile some construction industry figures in France believe that the proportion of bridges requiring attention could be significantly higher than the official figures as many structures have not been properly assessed.

France’s Transport Ministry is proposing a budget of €1 billion/year be used to repair the bridges in need of work. Without this spending, up to 6% of France’s existing bridges will have to be closed to traffic within 20 years.

Finance & Funding

Related Content

  • New Zealand's bridges survive earthquake
    February 7, 2012
    How is it that New Zealand's recent large and destructive earthquake did so little damage to the bridges in the quake zone? Mary Searle investigates. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit the Canterbury region in New Zealand at 4.35am on Saturday, 4 September was similar in size to the quake that shook Haiti in January. However, the damage in Canterbury was minimal in comparison. A key contributor to this was New Zealand's preparedness for such an event. Positioned on a major fault line, New Zealand has ear
    Read More
  • Washington DC’s historic bridge replacement project
    June 11, 2019
    The project to replace a historic bridge in US capital Washington DC is providing major challenges for its builders - Mike Woof writes
    Read More
  • Distracted driving report from European nations
    December 11, 2017
    There are now calls from right across Europe to increase education, enforcement and penalties for distracted driving. Surveys across Europe have revealed worrying attitudes to the use of mobile devices while driving, according to a report by the European Transport and Safety Commission (ETSC). Campaigners are calling for better enforcement, higher penalties, technological solutions and education to raise awareness of the risks. A survey in the Czech Republic found that 36% of drivers admitted using their
    Read More
  • France’s bridge problem
    July 23, 2019
    As many as 25,000 bridges in France are considered in poor condition according to research. In a bid to tackle the problem, there have been calls for an annual budget of €120 million for the next 10 years to improve bridge condition. There are an estimated 200,000-250,000 bridges in France. An additional fund of €130 million/year is proposed to tackle the problem of ageing tunnels in France.
    Read More

Highlighted Content