We found in Pontailler up to 6 bridges to cross the Saône and various arms
Figure 1: Atlas of the roads of the Province of Burgundy – route 25 – year 1759 – AD21
An old bridge is mentioned by Mr. Clément-Janin in 1882 with the discovery here of vases, bones and an amphora.
First records in archives
Very early in 1387, we find the notion of Pontailler’s great bridge. In the old archives only 2 bridges are known in Pontailler: the large bridge and Portote bridge. In 1530 mention is made of the “Grand Pont de Saone du Pontailler, which crosses the said river from the rue de Saint-Jean to the castle of the said place”. On the strength of this information, the notion of a large bridge, for the old archives, will be retained for the bridge now called “Pont Saint-Jean“.
As early as 1403, repairs were made on the “Grand Pont de Saone, which the inhabitants of Talmay had to pay half“. In 1404 is indicated the “reconstruction of the framework of the drawbridge of the bridge of Saone, the baffroy of that and the vane“. Must we understand that there is a second drawbridge on the Saône, Saint-Jean side. This is unlikely, since there is talk of a door in 1561: “the receiver receives the sum of 9 pounds 14 sous for having built a new half-gate of the town of Pontailler, which door is on the big Bridge Pontailler, at the expense of the king, which was needed well suited to do so, because of the time of the wars that reigned this year”.
In 1407, the bridge was carried away, from where “expenses for the great bridge of Saone, which was desrochiez and went to avaul the river the wood of icellui, the first month of February 1407, by the oppression and great force of the ice, which then came, and also went away some of the stacks of stone.”
In 1442 (from the mill), “works executed at the drawbridge of La Portote“.
In 1462 (Saint Eloi), new “various repairs to the great bridge of the Saone to Pontailler“.
In 1470 (the mill), works are “made on the bridge of Portote, Pontailler, which the Duke of Burgundy was required to maintain, because of some money raised for his benefit in the surrounding villages.”
In 1582, “the collector receives 8 ecus which he had disbursed for the transport of the woods of the Pontailler’s great bridge belonging to the King, in which bridge two balls had just been broken and brought nytantly by the great floods and overflowing waters” .
In 1590, in an extract from the burrow of the chatellenie of Pontailler, we find the indication of the 6 bridges of Pontailler with the mention “six wooden bridges, namely, the great bridge of Saone, near the Chastel de Saône ci-devant declared, shooting at the Rue Saint Jean du Pontailler, to which there are five stone pillars; and the surplus of wood, the maintenance of which bridge is the responsibility of the King … except the sixth part of the repairs of the said bridge, that the inhabitants have heard said to be the responsibility of the inhabitants of Talmay … a bridge said the portotte, pulling at County of Burgundy, against which, on the side of said Pontailler there is a drawbridge they said to be in charge of the King, and the sleeping bridge in charge of said residents of Pontailler … another bridge , says the Tascon bridge at the end of the rue Saint Eloy, firing at the county of burgundy, which is the responsibility of the inhabitants of Pontailler … the bridge, called de la maladière, near said bridge Tascon, pulling along the road , and the raising of said Pontailler to the county of Burgundy, which similarly, is the responsibility of the inhabitants of Pontailler … are still on said raising pulling in said county two other wooden bridges; one called the bridge Perrigny, which is the responsibility and maintenance of the inhabitants of Perrigny, and the other, named the bridge of Varennes which is also the charge and maintenance of Soissons and Vielverge. ”
Various documents in archives but difficult to read mention of the bridges, such as the one dated July 28, 1619 about the mill bridge, and a second April 26, 1665 concerning the poor condition of the bridge Saint Eloi and repairs to make.
In 1691, April 24, an estimate was made for the repair of a pile Pontailler bridge for the body of guard (Pont Saint Jean).
In 1744, February 24, fair day in Pontailler, the ice breakup strongly damaged two bridges, the stacks of stone of the Saint John bridge are intact but the bridge is not passable. In the Faubourg Saint Eloi, the wooden bridge was broken and leans on the side where it is not supported.
In 1753, a quay wall (presumably to support the road) was built along the Saône River at the entrance to the town of Pontailler.
In 1759 all the bridges are functional and are the subject of a description in the atlas of the roads of the province of Burgundy
1799 (Saint Eloi) – carried away by ice cream, setting up a ferry
The 11th Pluviose An VII (January 11, 1799) an estimate for the construction of a ferry on the Saône River in Pontailler to replace the bridge Saint Eloi carried by the ice. “The ferry or flat boat will be established downstream of the old bridge in the place where there is currently a path to go down to the river. For this purpose, a cable or track of about ninety-seven meters forty-two centimeters in length will be laid, which will be stopped in a fixed manner on the side of the meadow on a pile two meters deep with a strong head for fix the cable. ”
In 1806, the prefect by the way of the chief engineer of the Bridges and Roads department proposes to the Mayor of Pontailler the establishment of a ferry in view of the decay of the so-called bridge of Saint-Jean. The ferry is immediately built, it is 12m long. A batelet is added, which is 9m long and 1m wide.
In early 1810 (Saint John), the administration took charge of the reconstruction of the Saint John Bridge. The selected project comprises 5 bays of a flat bridge with a wooden deck. In 1815 the work is completely finished.
By letter of January 28, 1820 (Saint-Eloi), the Mayor of Pontailler echoes the Prefect of the Côte d’Or, “that the ice breakup had taken place in the night and the great bridge Saint-Eloi it was feared that it would be carried away by the said ice-caps had remained standing. This weak bridge, which had been built in 1801 only provisionally, was falling into ruin on every side by obsolescence. ”
Around 1840 (Saint-Jean), repairs are numerous. We decided to replace the wooden deck with stone vaults. This was the subject of a project on February 24, 1845, which also provides for the construction of a temporary wooden bridge that will be used during the execution of the works.
September 8, 1944 (Saint John), while the French troops had spared it in 1940, it was completely destroyed by the retreating German troops. Only two batteries remained usable, the other two being completely destroyed. A temporary bridge was quickly installed, but as a result of successive floods that occurred in the fall of 1944, this bridge did not resist. A wooden bridge was installed.
The reconstruction of the bridge involved the demolition of the spilled piles, and their reconstruction; elevation of old piles and abutments; the construction of the apron. The work of clearing and preparation of the site began in October 1948. The reconstruction must necessarily be done by half, because the temporary bridge occupies half of the route. The two new batteries are in the same location as the old ones. The four piles were raised about 1.80m in the new bridge. The new roadway that will support the bridge will be wider than the old (6m instead of 5m) with two sidewalks. It was in 1948 that the tender was awarded. It will be open end of 1949.
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