Marc Seguin bridge in Serrières

Third bridge established over the Rhône, by Marc Seguin, Annonean inventor of cable suspension bridges and the tubular boiler, the origin of our modern locomotion.

This work put into service in 1828 by Marc Seguin put an end to the use of the ferry. Forced by a deterioration of its structures, economic development and road traffic by the commissioning of the national 519 from the Alps to the Cévennes, it will have to undergo a reconstruction whose work will end in 1933. The most spectacular phase was the destruction of the central pier which was no longer of any use for the new bridge and which was a hindrance to navigation. It is with sadness that the Sablonnais and the Serrièrois saw this pile disappear, inscribed in the landscape for 105 years. 210 m long and 7.50 m wide, it had cost more than 7 million francs at the time.
On the night of September 1 to 2, 1944 at 0:45 a.m., the bridge exploded. The explosion is heard as far as Peaugres. The trail ferry is back in service. It will be used until Saturday July 1, 1950 when only pedestrians can finally cross the river. And, it will be on February 16, 1951, after spectacular tests carried out by 18 heavily loaded trucks, that the mayors of Serrières and Sablons, MM. Chardon and Dorel, inaugurate the new bridge in general joy. In 1972, following an inspection, the weakening of certain cables was observed. Traffic, to the great despair of local residents, must be interrupted. But the time is no longer at the trail tray! The solution chosen by the experts is to establish a Bailey bridge, named after its American inventor. The idea is to build a bridge with two lanes, one to the left bank and the other to the right bank, parallel to the bridge. The bridge was put back into circulation in 1976.