France, Picardie

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

November 2007

No, again no kayaking pictures, on the contrary. The civil construction works at St-Valery-sur-Somme continue. After having constructed new gates upstream and added 1 gate the downstream, they are actually taking on the playspot itself.

The old rotating bridge above the playspot is being demolished and will be replaced by an elevating bridge.

 

On the 4th of November 2007 the last car passed the old rotating bridge. The bridge was cut into pieces and taken away.

Upstream from St-Valery, in Abbeville, there have been several floods. Measures had to be taken. Plans were shown to the locals of new gates and concrete bridges. Most people realized the gates had to be made, but there was a lot of protest against the concrete bridges. People wanted to keep the rotating bridge, a monument of St-Valery together with the old steam train.

Plans were changed but unfortunately the rotating bridge didn't make it. An elevating bridge will take it's place.

 

The bridge without the rotating steel deck.

The playspot used to be just below.

Don't know if they will change the stone piles of the bridge, if they do, the bottom underneath the water will be changed also. If that happens, all hopes to ever again surf the St-Valery playspot will become very marginal.

All pictures from the site of the 'Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme', newsletter november 2007. Thank them guys for the updates.

Birdy

back to base !