Is the garabit viaduct still used?

Design and construction The overall project cost was 3,100,000 francs. Until 11 September 2009, one regular passenger train each way passed daily over the viaduct: a Corail route from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers. On that date, the viaduct closed after cracks were discovered in one of the foundation piles.

What is Gustave Eiffel famous for?

Eiffel built hundreds of metal structures of all kinds all around the world. Eiffel built hundreds of metal structures of all kinds, all around the world. Bridges, and in particular railway bridges, were his favourite field of work, but he also won renown for his metal structural work and industrial installations.

Why was the garabit viaduct built?

In 4 years and 10 months, Gustave Eiffel built a railway viaduct 564m long and 122.5m high, the largest ever built at the time. It was built to carry the railway line between Marvejols and Neussargues and crosses the deep valley of the Truyère (a tributary flowing into the right bank of the Lot).

How did Gustave Eiffel design the bridge to withstand gusty winds?

Rather than building his bridge with thick, solid beams, Eiffel used beams with lots of holes — holes in the shapes of triangles. But if he used a series of open triangles, called a truss, the gusty wind in the valley would blow right through them.

Where is the Viaduc de Garabit in France?

The Garabit Viaduct (Viaduc de Garabit in French) is a railway arch bridge spanning the Truyère, near Ruynes-en-Margeride, Cantal, France, in the mountainous Massif Central region.

When did the Eiffel company build the Garabit viaduct?

Between 1875 and 1877, the company had built the Maria Pia Bridge over the Douro at Porto, and when the construction of a railway between Marvejols and Neussargues, both in Cantal, was proposed, the work of constructing a viaduct to cross the Truyère was given to Eiffel without the usual process of competitive tendering.

How big is the Garabit viaduct in feet?

Garabit viaduct. The bridge was constructed between 1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel, with structural engineering by Maurice Koechlin, and was opened in 1885. It is 565 m (1,854 ft) in length and has a principal arch of 165 m (541 ft) span.

When did the Garabit viaduct in Clermont Ferrand close?

Until 11 September 2009, one regular passenger train each way passed daily over the viaduct: a Corail route from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers. On that date, the viaduct closed after cracks were discovered in one of the foundation piles.