Editing Pont Neuf (section)

==Construction==
[[File:P1140241 Carnavalet Ecole française Projet Pont-Neuf vers 1577 rwk.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Painting of the ''Pont Neuf'' project as approved by [[Henry III of France|King Henry III]] in 1578. The bridge was completed in 1607 with a less ornate design.]] 
As early as 1550, [[Henry II of France|Henry II]] considered building a new bridge at the Ile de la Cite because the existing [[Pont Notre-Dame]] was congested and needed repair. The idea was not advanced for lack of funds. By 1577, however, Henry III released funds from the national treasury for a new bridge and appointed a building commission for its designing and planning. Henry rejected the first design proposed by the committee, which included monumental arches, but no plan for buildings along the sides. The commission proceeded in 1578 with modifications to its initial plan, perhaps devised by the royal architect, [[Androuet de Cerceau]]. While Henry had already allowed for piers to be driven for the northern arm of bridge, the first construction under the 1579 design indicated a wider deck in preparation of buildings to be constructed on the side. The houses were never built, but the wide bridge deck was retained.<ref name="whitney"/>

In February 1578,<ref>Ballon 1991, p. 117. A surveyor's report of 3 March 1578 is described and reproduced in Lasteyrie 1882, pp. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6322850r/f31.image.langEN 25–34]. The ''[[lettres patentes]]'' were signed on 16 March 1578 (Lasteyrie 1882, [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6322850r/f15.image.langEN p. 9]).</ref> the decision to build the bridge was made by [[Henry III of France|Henry III]] who laid its first stone in on 31 May 1578,<ref>Lasteyrie 1882, [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6322850r/f53.image.langEN p. 47]</ref> the same year when the foundations of four piers and one abutment were completed.<ref name="whitney" /> Pierre des Isles, one of the builders, convinced the supervisory commission that the bridge, which was originally planned straight, would be more resistant to the river currents if its two sections were built at a slight angle. The change was adopted in May 1578.<ref>Ballon 1991, pp. 117–118.</ref>

Further design changes were made during the summer of 1579. First, the number of arches was changed from eight and four to seven and five. This was not a problem on the north side, where nothing had been built, but on the south, where the four piles and the abutment on the Left Bank were already laid, the addition of the fifth arch necessitated reducing the length of the platform on the island, the ''terre-plein'', from 28.5 [[toise]]s to about 19. Second, it was decided to allow houses to be built on the bridge (though they never were). This required the widening of the bridge.<ref>Ballon 1991, p. 118 and p. 324 (note 11).</ref> The remaining piers were built over the next nine years.<ref name="whitney" /> After a long delay beginning in 1588, due to political unrest and to the [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]], construction was resumed in 1599 under the reign of Henry IV.<ref name="whitney" /> The bridge was opened to traffic in 1604 and completed in July 1606.<ref>Ballon 1991, p. 122.</ref> It was inaugurated by Henry IV in 1607.

Like most bridges of its time, the ''Pont Neuf'' is constructed as a series of many short [[arch bridge]]s, following [[Roman bridge|Roman precedents]]. It was the first stone bridge in Paris not to support houses in addition to a thoroughfare, and was also fitted with pavements protecting pedestrians from mud and horses; pedestrians could also step aside into its [[bastion]]s to let a bulky carriage pass. The decision not to include houses on the bridge can be traced back directly to Henry IV, who decided against their inclusion on the grounds that houses would impede a clear view of the [[Louvre]],<ref>Strohmayer 2007.</ref> which the newly built ''galerie du bord de l'eau'' linked to the [[Tuileries Palace]].

Pont Neuf was for a long time the widest bridge in Paris. It has undergone much repair and renovation work, including rebuilding of seven spans in the long arm and lowering of the roadway by changing the arches from an almost semi-circular to elliptical form (1848–1855), lowering of sidewalks and faces of the [[Pier (architecture)|piers]], [[spandrels]], [[cornice]]s and replacing crumbled [[corbel]]s as closely to the originals as possible.<ref name="whitney" /> In 1885, one of the piers of the short arm was undermined, removing the two adjacent arches, requiring them to be rebuilt and all the foundations strengthened.<ref name="whitney" />

A major restoration of the ''Pont Neuf'' was begun in 1994 and was completed in 2007, the year of its 400th anniversary.