Here stands a simple plaque. It tells a tale of the Pont Saint Clair. A tale of construction and destruction. A tale of a man named Claude-Marius Vaïsse.
The Pont Saint Clair wasn’t always the Pont Saint Clair. Initially it was known as the Pont Louis-Philippe. Then in 1848 it became the Pont Saint Clair. It was built in 1846 by the Compagnie des Ponts du Rhône. A suspension bridge with three spans. Two piers separated them. These piers were topped with round fluted columns of ashlar stone. Suspension cables hung from these columns.
Disaster struck in 1854. A boat laden with stones collided with a pier. The pier collapsed into the Rhône River. The bridge underwent significant modifications during its reconstruction from 1855 to 1856. The Compagnie des Ponts du Rhône proposed a new five-pier suspension bridge. They reused two standing piers from the old bridge. The new piers were different. The bridge’s width was reduced to 6.70 meters.
Further work occurred between 1895 and 1897. The city council ordered the demolition and consolidation of the pier’s stone embankments. In 1901 the pier foundations were protected with concrete blocks.
World War II brought more turmoil. The Pont Saint Clair was dynamited on September 2 1944. It reopened to traffic on November 26 of the same year. The complete demolition of the bridge didn’t start until 1951. The Malgrain et Cie company handled the demolition work. After the Pont de Lattre de Tassigny opened in 1958 the remaining piers of the Pont Saint Clair were demolished.
This unassuming plaque commemorates the Pont Saint Clair’s existence. It stands as a testament to a bridge that once connected the city. It tells us about more than just its name changes. It whispers of a senator prefect and mayor Claude-Marius Vaïsse. A man who added his name to Lyon’s beauty. He is even remembered in the creation of Parc de la Tête d’Or in 1859. This small plaque reminds us that even the grandest structures are ultimately transient. They too fade into memory. Yet their story continues.