The tracks of Austerlitz station are a gaping fissure in the urban fabric of east Paris. A fissure that Semapa, developer of the Left Bank district, and the City of Paris have undertaken to sew back together. The idea is to cover as much of the railway facilities as possible, with a new crossing. For the moment called “Bridge of the Salpêtrière” for the lack of a better term, this new work, which will connect the quays of the Seine to Boulevard de l’Hôpital, needs to be open to road traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists by the end of 2021.
Arcadis, in the face five competitors, won the competition for the design and construction of this new 22m wide and 85m long bridge. It once again partnered with Wilkinson Eyre architects and landscaping firm Atelier Arpentère.
Like other major Parisian railway stations, Paris-Austerlitz needs to undergo a metamorphosis with the plan Austerlitz 2020.