Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The bridge of the Crau Bridge, located at Pont-de-Crau (Community of Arles), is a complex monument combining two distinct periods. Archaeological excavations revealed the foundations of a first-century Roman aqueduct bridge, designed to support both the Aurélian bis route and an aqueduct feeding Arles in water from the Alpilles. This ancient work, higher than the later structures, was damaged by floods of the Rhône before being partially replaced.

In the 16th century (1585–87), a new water bridge of 660 meters and 93 spans was built for the Craponne Canal, crossing a swamp between Arles and Pont-de-Crau. This masonry work, with its arches in a full-cindered cradle, was initially used for irrigation before being redesigned. In 1757 the architect Project and engineer Georges Vallon restored the aqueduct after damage caused by a flood of the Rhône.

In the 19th century, the canal was dedicated to irrigation, while its terminal part was abandoned. In 1990, arches were destroyed to build a roundabout, leaving only three sections (52 m, 315 m and 200 m). Ranked a historic monument in 1922, the site preserves the remains of the two eras: the buried Roman piles and the 16th century structures, now owned by the commune of Arles.

The visible remains are distributed across the current roundabout at the intersection of CD453 and CD570 roads. The water bridge thus illustrates the superimposition of modern and Roman hydraulic techniques, while at the same time showing the successive adaptations of the Arlesian landscape to agricultural and urban needs.

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