The Pont d’Iéna is one of 37 bridges across the Seine in Paris (France) in the 7th and 16th arrondissements. It has been registered as a historic monument since June 12, 19751.
The Iéna Bridge connects the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadéro place (Palais de Chaillot). On the right bank, it gives access to Avenue de New-York. On the left bank, it separates the port of La Bourdonnais from the port of Suffren and crosses the Quai Jacques-Chirac, at the esplanade des Ouvriers-de-la-Tour-Eiffel.
This site is served by the Trocadéro Paris metro station.
The structure was designed with five arches, each with an arc length of 28 m, and four intermediate piers. The initial construction, the cost of which was enormous at the time, was fully financed by the State and spanned six years from 1808 to 1814.
Put in place in 1853, on the two ends of the bridge, are four sculptures sitting on top of four corresponding pylons: a Gallic warrior by Antoine-Augustin Préault and a Roman warrior by Louis-Joseph Daumas by the Right Bank; an Arab warrior by Jean-Jacques Feuchère and a Greek warrior by François-Théodore Devaulx by the Left Bank.
Towards the second half of the 19th century, the inadequacy of the bridge’s carrying capacity started to become a pronounced problem. With the increasing traffic resulting from the expansion of the districts of Trocadéro, Auteuil and Passy, the necessity to enlarge the structure (the width of which was no more than 14 m, including the pavements) in a durable fashion grew as time went on.
Not until 1937, with the prospect of the upcoming World Fair drawing closer, did the French government decide to execute the project, which was all the more necessary as the structure was starting to show sure signs of deterioration. As well as the widening operation, reduced to just 35 meters from the planned 40 meters, the project also transformed the bridge with two additional concrete elements placed at either end, joining to the existing bridge with metal girders.
Next upstream: Passerelle Debilly
Next downstream: Pont de Bir-Hakeim
Characteristics
Design: Arch bridge
Total length: 155 m (508 ft)
Width: 35 m (115 ft)
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