Rochefort's Transporter 'ferry' bridge - the last of its kind in France
The Transporter bridge (Pont Transbordeur in French) crosses the Charente river between Rochefort and Echillais in the Charente-Maritime. The last of its kind in France, it is a suspended car or ferry bridge, allowing the river to be crossed without obstructing river traffic. There were once at least five such working bridges in Frabce, but this one at Rochefort is now the last of its type left in France today (there are just seven in the world).
The bridge is made up of two metal pylons that are 66.25m high. Between them is a gangway of 175.5m and suspended from this, at ground level, a platform that travels along the gangway, ferrying traffic across. It takes four minutes to cross.
Inaugurated in 1900, the bridge took just over two years to build. It became largely redundant in the sixties when a more traditional bridge was built a short distance away, and it was due to be demolished.
However, it was declared a historic monument in 1976 and was restored in the early 1990s. Today it is open to foot and cycle traffic.