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29 Jul 2014
Jetty bridge to UNESCO's Mont Saint Michel now open
By Katie Buckley
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The jetty will be flooded twice a year by high tides, resulting in the island being completely cut off from the mainland France, save for the new structure
Photo: Dietmar Feichtinger Architect and Mathias Neveling
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A 760m (2,493 ft) long pedestrian walkway leading to the historic island of Mont Saint Michel - which boasts a castle, commune and abbey - was opened to the public on 22 July.
Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes, an Austria-based practice, has designed the jetty to replace the 135-year-old structure that was there before. After nine years of research and three years of construction, the finished article is finally ready to be walked over for the first time.
The previous walkway was causing a buildup of silt around a damn near the site, meaning its replacement had become a top priority for the local authority. The previous causeway is soon scheduled to be demolished. Once this has gone ahead, the new route will allow coverage by the tides, meaning that at certain times of the year, Mont Saint Michel will become a fully-fledged, isolated, island once more.
The medieval island town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sits just off the coast of Normandy. As one of France’s top tourist attractions, the jetty has also been built to be able to carry shuttle buses, which will not be up and running until the official opening in November. |
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