THE BRIDGE OF THE PYLONS

351 metres long, 9 metres wide and 74.50 metres high: these are the dimensions of the impressive Pyle bridge! The current viaduct is one of the imposing structures built at the same time as the Vouglans dam, in the late 1960s. It links the two shores of the lake and offers a superb panorama. You can cross it by car or motorcycle: the departmental road 470 linking Lons to Saint-Claude or Oyonnax passes through it.

But before it became the bridge you're about to cross, the Pont de la Pyle had a turbulent history. Before the dam was built, the Ain was just an ordinary river at this point. In the Middle Ages, a ferry was used to cross the river. In 1773, a stone bridge was built, but it collapsed before it could be completed. It was decided to build a wooden one, which lasted 20 years before collapsing in 1803. It was rebuilt, but burnt down in 1814 to counter the advance of the Austrian army. A fragile structure built in 1818 was replaced in 1820 by another covered wooden bridge, which lasted until 1869. A narrow iron bridge with a wooden floor was then built, but this in turn was demolished in 1967 to impound the Vouglans dam. And so ends the story of the misadventures of these successive bridges over the Ain, which today, held back by the dam, has taken on a completely different face. Now it's up to you to write its history, by using it and, why not, immortalizing it with your best shots. The view over Lac de Vouglans is well worth the detour.