Sidi M'Cid Bridge
{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name = Sidi M'Cid Bridge
|native_name = جسر سيدي مسيد
|native_name_lang =
|image = 1 Pont de Sidi M'Cid.JPG
|alt = Sidi M'Cid Bridge over the Rhumel River
|caption =
|official_name =
|other_name = قنطرة الحبال
(The cables Bridge)
|carries = Motor vehicles, Pedestrians
|crosses = Gorge valley of the Rhumel River
|locale = Constantine, Algeria
|maint =
|id =
|designer = Ferdinand Arnodin
|design =
|material =
|spans = {{convert|160|m|abbr=on}} {{cite news|author=Sakowski |url=http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?|title=Sidi M'Cid Suspension Bridge|location=Constantine, Algeria|website=highestbridges.com|publisher=highestbridges|date=16 October 2009|accessdate=15 May 2018}}
|pierswater =
|mainspan =
|length =
|width =
|height =
|load =
|clearance =
|below = {{convert|175|m|abbr=on}} {{cite news|author=Nicolas Janberg|url=https://structurae.net/structures/sidi-m-cid-suspension-bridge|title=Sidi M'Cid Suspension Bridge|location=Constantine, Algeria|website=structurae.net|publisher=structurae|date=15 September 2009|accessdate=15 May 2018}}
|traffic =
|begin = 1909
|complete =
|opened = April 19, 1912
|closed =
|toll = Free
|map_image =
|map_width =
|coordinates = {{Coord|36|22|20.8|N|6|36|51.2|E|display=inline}}
|references =
}}
Sidi M'Cid Bridge is a {{convert|164|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} suspension bridge across the Rhumel River in Constantine, Algeria. It was opened to traffic in April 1912 and until 1929 was the highest bridge in the world at {{cvt|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 by the Algerian company SAPTA.{{cite web|url=http://afrotourism.com/attraction/sidi-mcid-bridge/ |title=SIDI M'CID BRIDGE |publisher=Afro Tourism |accessdate=5 January 2017 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105184206/http://afrotourism.com/attraction/sidi-mcid-bridge/ |archivedate=5 January 2017 }}{{cite web|url=https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/111952 |title=Sidi M'Cid Bridge |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |accessdate=5 January 2017 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105180626/https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/111952 |archivedate=5 January 2017 }}
History
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.Daniel Biau {{Google books|mAmTBwAAQBAJ|The Bridge and the City|page=237}}Anthony Ham {{Google books|0hh0YF79430C|Algeria|page=119}}
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.Anthony Ham {{Google books|0hh0YF79430C|Algeria|page=120}}
{{gallery|mode=packed|height=165|width=165
|File:2 Pont de Sidi M'Cid.JPG|The road and the pedestrian walkway
|File:جسر سيدي مسيد أو قنطرة السبيطار.JPG|The view from beneath the bridge
|File:Constantine, les gorges du Rhummel, l'arche naturelle et le pont suspendu.jpg|The natural bridge beneath the Sidi M'Cid
|File:Constantine10.JPG|The Sidi M'Cid hill on one side of the bridge
|File:Sidi M'Cid.JPG|View of the Sidi M'Cid hill and the city
|File:Les Ponts suspendus à Constantine.jpg|The archways on either side of the bridge
}}
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|Transport|Engineering|Roads|Architecture}}}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/search.php?search=%21collection3738 Images of Sidi M'Cid Bridge] in Manar al-Athar digital heritage photo archive
Category:Suspension bridges in Algeria
Category:Bridges in Constantine, Algeria
Category:Buildings and structures in Constantine Province
Category:Transport in Constantine, Algeria