Sidi M'Cid Bridge
| Sidi M'Cid Bridge | |
|---|---|
Sidi M'Cid Bridge over the Rhummel River
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| Coordinates | 36°19′39″N 6°36′51″E / 36.32750°N 6.61417°E |
| Carries | Motor vehicles, Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Rhummel River |
| History | |
| Designer | Ferdinand Arnodin |
| Construction begin | 1909 |
| Opened | April 19, 1912 |
Sidi M'Cid Bridge is a 164 m long suspension bridge across the Rhummel River in Constantine, Algeria. It was opened to traffic in April 1912 and till 1929 was the highest bridge in the world at 175 m. The bridge was designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin and links the Casbah to Sidi M'Cid hill. The bridge underwent restoration in 2000 when 12 of its cables were replaced.
Constantine was an important city of 50,000 people when Émile Morinaud took over as the mayor and member of parliament in 1901. During his time in power till 1934, he went about modernizing the city. The Sidi M'Cid bridge, the Sidi Rached bridge and many other prominent buildings were constructed in this period. The bridge remained the highest bridge in the world till the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado opened in November 1929. The bridge is famous nowadays for the numerous suicides taking place by jumping off the bridge.
The Monument of the Dead is on one side of the bridge on the Sidi M'Cid hill. The monument is a replica of the Arch of Trajan in Timgad and commemorates the people of Constantine who laid down their lives fighting for France in the First World War. There is a natural bridge below the Sidi M'Cid bridge which blocks the view of the river from the bridge.
The road and the pedestrian walkway
The view from beneath the bridge
Artwork depicting the bridge
The Sidi M'Cid hill on one side of the bridge
View of the Sidi M'Cid hill and the city
The archways on either side of the bridge
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Wikipedia