Tunnel of Mans

Presentation and specificities

The tunnel of the Mans is a building located at the center of the old city. It was built at the 19th century between 1873 and 1877. It was used a long time by the tram only whereas the multiple bridges on the Sarthe were also reserved to him. This tunnel assembles the high slope to reach the center town. It is the most direct means to go on the heights of the Mans Old man just as to the Jacobins.

This tunnel is opened with the cars since second half of the 20th century. As opposed to what it could appear, the building is not closed and does not have a " strictly speaking; toît". It is left with open sky, but its walls, reaching too large heights to offer enough lighting are worth the denomination of " to him; tunnel". It makes integral part of the old city today and makes it possible to connect by its 3 bridges, with the top even of the building, Is and the West of the district. They are opened to the pedestrians as with the cars. Its structure is entirely of stones, except some metal reinforcements for the bridges.

It offers to the motorists a simple roadway in 2X1 ways whereas a cycle track is open on each side. The building is of this fact the cause of some decelerations, because it involves the contracting of the lanes at its entry. No widening is possible, if not the removal of the pavements. To dig in the building would lead to the destruction of the inheritance of the city, as with the destruction of the foundations for the overhanging bridges this tunnel. The town hall can thus nothing make in this direction.

This tunnel is the only opening made in the wall of the City Plantagenêt, it will have allowed the safeguarding of the remainder of the wall. Have remained the problem of pollution vis-a-vis the opening to the cars for one half-century. The building being with more than stone 90%, the wall is attacked more and more by the waste rejettés by the motorists.

History

The idea of origin is to connect the Yssoir Bridge to the place of the Jacobins by only one tunnel, empruntable with foot. The idea appears in the spirit of the elected officials since 1849. Consequently, a gallery " exploratrice" is dug under the old city. It then becomes the required passage of the inhabitants to reach the center of the " news ville". This passage will last only 8 years, it will be closed because considered to be too dangerous. The darkness reignant there, the friability of the rock, made the crossing perilous and long.

November 14th, 1865, the elected officials give the study of a true project of tunnel to Eugene Caillaux (father of Joseph Caillaux). They wish to see a tunnel easy to build, but especially practical for the residents. In 2 years, the research director produces 5 projects. Some would be the creation of a tunnel out of tube. Others in only one sliced, or even, the architect carries out a plan to circumvent the place initially envisaged. He wants to make do to the users it tower of the hill of the Mans Old man. Finally, its third project, kind of architecture " hybride" between sliced with open sky and tunnel is retained. Work begins in March 1870 and Caillaux is the instigator as well on paper as in the realization.

However, work is stopped by the end of the empire and the Prussian invasion . It is only one year later that work can begin again. The new mayor, Anselme Rubillard, draw aside Caillaux of construction. It places at its head two civil engineers: Thoré and Ricour. This replacement is not today any more a doubt, the policy wanted to hold isolated engineer Caillaux of all great realization. The building site continues, the vault of the building is carried out before even the base. September 30th, 1877, is after 6 years of construction and almost 30 years of hopes and research, the inauguration with place. It is carried out in the presence of the new Minister for Finance… a certain Eugene Caillaux.

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