Pavage

The question of the bridge is inseparable from that of the Rhône. That’s why this 3D digitisation and modelling project, both of the structure itself and of its surroundings, aims to help us revisit a heritage site of prime importance by virtually re-establishing the link between the two banks of the river, which, after the disappearance of the Roman bridge at Arles, was for a long time the only crossing over the river between Lyon or Vienne and the sea. The restoration of the bridge, one of the aims of the project, would be meaningless if we didn’t set it back in its river landscape. As a result, the project will have a significant geohistorical dimension, for which geo-morphological and palaeo-environmental studies will be carried out using the most recent digital simulation resources available, based on geographic information systems. The digital terrain model covering the study area (approximately 50 km2) will use the most accurate data available from the IGN, supplemented by very low altitude (< 50 m) aerial acquisitions from a helicopter drone or a balloon. The digitisation and online accessibility of cultural content are essential to the preservation and promotion of our heritage. This project to digitise and restore the Pont d’Avignon to its river landscape meets these two concerns. In order to share the history and memory of the Rhône, the aim is to get to know this bridge better, to understand it and above all to record and make visible the traces of its past, its construction, the changing context of river dynamics and the mobility of the riverbed, which had a major influence on its existence.