The Pont des Marchands, dating from the Roman era and very fragile, is the subject of a rescue plan led by the town hall of the Occitan city, which has already carried out the absolutely emergency work.
All things considered: the Pont des Marchands is to Narbonne what the Ponte Vecchio is to Florence. This arch, dating from Roman times, a crossing point of the Robine canal, today supporting residential houses, is weakened. The Narbonne municipality has already started reinforcement work in April 2023, at a cost of one million euros, in order to avoid a partial collapse which would have had catastrophic consequences.
But today, under the leadership of Bertrand Malquier, the independent mayor of Narbonne, a second phase of reinforcement must be put in place. Interviewed by our colleagues at BFMTV, he explained the complexity of the situation and the necessary involvement of public authorities: “The bridge is no longer in danger of collapsing for the moment since the city has carried out emergency work. It is the oldest inhabited bridge in France, it is 2000 years old… Today the complexity of the work, because it is a bridge, because the buildings are interlocking, requires coordination of the work by the public authorities. Within a year, we will own the seven buildings in the central part and perhaps more depending on the wishes of the owners to be able to invest the 25 million euros needed to rebuild this postcard that is the Merchants’ Bridge.”.
Determined to carry out this heritage and historical preservation plan, Mayor Bertrand Malquier also wants to reassure the Narbonne owners of the Pont des Marchands and its surroundings: “The residents and traders of this sector, temporarily rehoused following the closure of this part of the street, will be supported in finding long-term solutions for rehousing and transferring activities.”.
The bridge was built between the ancient Roman city of Narbo Martius (founded in the 2nd century) and the Roman city ofe century BC and a medieval town. Jewel and symbol of Narbonne, it is today called by the people of Narbonne, simply the Rue des Marchands.