New bridge in Colombelles near Caen: a Delay for the Start of Work

Construction of the new swing bridge in Colombelles, near Caen (Calvados), should finally begin in 2025.

Postponement for work on the new Colombelles bridge near Caen (Calvados). While the project was to begin at the start of the 2024 school year, it is finally in 2025 that the launch is planned, “either in the summer or at the end of 2025”, specifies Philippe Deiss, the general director of Ports de Normandie, the structure that manages the equipment.

The reason for the postponement: “the parallel extension of the urban heating network” planned until 2031 to heat 39,600 housing equivalents in the Caen metropolitan area.

20,000 vehicles per day

Commissioned in 1959, the bridge sees 20,000 vehicles pass over the Caen to Ouistreham canal every day. In 2016, an inspection revealed structural problems, leading to regular maintenance work and a ban on crossing heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes.

In October 2022, the project for a new swing bridge was revealed. It will be built alongside the existing one for an estimated cost of 20 million euros.

Commissioning is now estimated in 2026.