Near Toulouse, the Gagnac-sur-Garonne bridge will be closed for several months
Motorists north of Toulouse will have to get used to it. the Gagnac-sur-Garonne bridge, owned by Toulouse Métropole, will temporarily withdraw its apron by 2024 to be consolidated. Users of this very noticeable axis fear the consequences of the closure on road traffic in northern Toulouse.
>> READ ALSO: Toulouse: where will the new works for the 3rd metro line start?
Work lasting “several months”
The Gagnac-sur-Garonne bridge, built in 1964, supports the passage of nearly 20,000 vehicles daily. It is a 181.50 m viaduct consisting of five spans with three beams each. Its deck is 8 m wide and rests on three beams 1.90 meters high. If the structure seems very buoyant, its solidity has been questioned for several years. Indeed, the bridge, whose first cracks appeared at the end of the 90s, no longer inspires confidence in users.
That year, a study had revealed numerous faults in the injection of the sheaths as well as the beginning of cable corrosion. In 2005, after a new study, the deck had been reinforced with carbon fiber. Then, in 2018, the metal cables, the pillars of the construction of this bridge, were scrutinized.
After new reports, the bridge had again been the subject of an expert study commissioned by Toulouse Métropole last February. This analysis has raised the need for further work. Contacted by The Independent Opinion, the community confirms: “to allow its reinforcement and its security, Toulouse Métropole will carry out work in 2024 requiring the closure of the work for a few months”. According to their information, these works make it possible to “remove the current traffic restrictions”. While waiting for the closure of the bridge, “technical tests are already underway”. They are compatible with the injection of liquid cement into cable sheaths to protect them from corrosion.
>> READ ALSO: Toulouse: where are we at with the work at the Palais de Justice station?
A closure both expected and feared
Despite the threats that hover, cars and heavy goods vehicles continue to use this passage, which remains one of the only two allowing the crossing of the Garonne in the north of Toulouse. If the announcement of the closure of one of the most strategic axes of Toulouse makes more than one motorist grumble, fearing a traffic disruption, this operation is essential for their safety.
This closure is both expected and feared by users. For the collective CapRd902 this initiative had to wait. The one who “alerts for years the elected officials of North-West Toulouse” criticizes “the lack of anticipation” and “inaction” of Toulouse Métropole.
On its Facebook page, the collective declares: “the fragility of this bridge does not date from yesterday, the first works date from 1990! It will have taken 32 years to anticipate”. However, the interruption of traffic in 2024, for an indefinite period, worries the collective. “From our internal sources, the Gagnac-Sur-Garonne bridge will be closed for at least six months,” the group said on Facebook. “It’s an entire economic axis that will be immobilized, thousands of employees who will see their time and their cost of travel increased, and local residents who will have to make longer journeys to gain service points”, alert-t they before asking: “How many tinkerings leading to closures and immeasurable traffic jams?”.