The Pont Julien (French for Julian Bridge) is a Roman stone arch bridge over the Calavon river, in the south-east of France, dating from 3 BC. The supporting columns are notable for openings to allow floodwater to pass through. It is located in the territory of the commune of Bonnieux, north of the village of the same name, and 8 km west of Apt. Originally, it was built on the Via Domitia, an important Roman road which connected Italy to the Roman territories in France. It was used for car traffic until 2005, when a replacement bridge was built to preserve it from wear and tear. It is still used as bike- and footpath. This amounts to approximately 2000 years of uninterrupted use.

Pont Julien
Pont Julien
Coordinates43°51′45″N 5°18′28″E / 43.86250°N 5.30778°E / 43.86250; 5.30778
CarriesVia Domitia
CrossesCalavon
LocaleNear Bonnieux, Vaucluse, France
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialLimestone
Total length85 m
Width5.50 m
Longest span16.3 m
No. of spans3
Clearance below9 m
History
Construction end3 BC
Location
Map

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References edit

  • Murati, Philippe (1994). Ponts de Provence. Nice. pp. 19–20.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • O’Connor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, pp. 96f. (G5), ISBN 0-521-39326-4

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