the Rouzat viaduct, France

This wrought iron viaduct built in 1869 is situated on the Commentry - Gannat railway line, used by the links Lyon - Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand - Montluçon via Gannat, and crosses the Sioule river, a few km northwest of Gannat. The viaduct is named after the nearby locality of Rouzat on the Sioule.

The designer was Wilhelm Nordling, chief engineer of the Paris-Orleans Railway. The construction was entrusted to Eiffel et Cie, the company Gustave Eiffel had created in 1867. Overseer of the engineering and construction was Théophile Seyrig, a partner of Gustave Eiffel. The Rouzat viaduct and the neighboring Neuvial viaduct were the first railway viaducts built by Eiffel et Cie, well before the Maria Pia Bridge of Porto (Portugal) (1877) and the Garabit viaduct completed in 1884. For the first time metal rather than masonry was used for a bridge of this height.

Specifications
Total length: 180.6 metres
Span lengths: 55.125 - 57.75- 49.125 metres
Height above valley floor or water: 58.9 metres
Deck truss :
Deck depth 4.54 metres
Deck length 162 metres
Deck width 4.5 metres