Avant Pont
Le Havre
France, 2004

The approach viaduct of the Pont de Normandie near Le Havre is less spectacular than the central span of the bridge, yet it strongly shapes the way the structure is experienced. It is precisely in this long approach that the transition from harbour area and estuary to the great crossing over the Seine becomes tangible. On the northern side, near Le Havre, this approach viaduct is about 650 metres long. It functions not only as a technical link, but also as a gradual ascent through the landscape. The roadway slowly lifts movement above water, mudflats, wind, and infrastructure. As a result, the main span is not reached abruptly, but carefully prepared. The bridge as a whole is over 2.14 kilometres long and only fully opens up after this approach. Near Le Havre, the approach viaduct therefore takes on something almost cinematic: a rhythm of concrete, incline, and horizon.