The bridge over the "La Fontaine" ravine, Réunion Island

This article deals with the design and construction of a bridge on Réunion Island. Its design results from a close cooperation between architect, landscape designer and engineers. It concerns a steel arch bridge with an unusual slenderness ratio of 1:7.5 guided by geotechnics, accessibility to the excavations and environmental and aesthetic considerations. Detailed studies of the wind (numerical calculation of the wind, wind tunnel studies, calculations with turbulent wind) allowed cyclone conditions to be taken into account in the design for top speeds, which can reach nearly 300 km/h. The structure was built using the cantilever method thanks to the addition of diagonals and temporary anchoring tie beams allowing a transitory lattice-type operation.