Eiffel Type Bridge
in Olargues
ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE
Railway bridge of the Mazamet-Bédarieux line, referred to as "Eiffel Type Bridge", this viaduct, well known to all, spans the Jaur at the entrance of Olargues.
It was built between 1886 and 1889 by the Compagnie de Fives-Lille, under the direction of the Ponts et Chaussées of Hérault, whose chief engineer was Frédéric Ritter. Thus, it is more related to the lifting bridge of the rue de Crimée or the Alexandre III Bridge in Paris, also made of metal but of different design, built by the same company, than to the famous tower for which it is named.
However, the EIFFEL Company very regularly submitted bids at that time to the Fives-Lille Company. According to some experts, the iron used is exactly the same as that used for the construction of the 1900 World's Fair nail and would come from the same workshop…
Given the resemblance, and by a common shorthand over a century, or to differentiate it from the Julio bridge, built at the same time, the name has naturally imposed itself.
With a length of 131 m, it reaches a height of 20.20 meters above the Jaur and offers a breathtaking panorama of the village of Olargues. It is one of the most well-known achievements of the Voie Verte PASSA PAÏS.
By bike or on foot, it is discovered every day, at every hour, depending on the light or the weather with a perpetual renewal.
