Master of Bridges and Roads — Antoine-Rémy Polonceau
Antoine-Rémy Polonceau revolutionized the design and construction of bridges and roads, two activities at the historical roots of the engineering profession. After graduating from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1796, Polonceau joined the corps of Ponts et Chaussées, literally “bridges and roads.” The corps were engineers employed by the state to carry out essential public works in France.
Over his career, Polonceau’s work engaged him on a topics ranging from hailstones to factories and waterways. His first major task was to build roads through the Alps across France’s border with Italy, a project which had strategic national importance. Polonceau introduced the Macadam system for paving streets to France. Developed in England, the Macadam system uses crushed stone sealed with rock dust and rolled smooth to produce a durable surface. However, its introduction to replace cobblestone streets in Paris also resulted in muddy streets, much to the irritation of the city’s flaneurs.
In Paris, Polonceau is also remembered for an innovative bridge across the Seine, the Pont du Carrousel, built in 1831. Polonceau designed a light-weight structure that crossed the Seine in three graceful arches. The 48-metre long hollow iron arches are bolted in place around wooden cores made from laminated pine.
The iron arches were constructed out of smaller components, because fabrication of the arches as a single piece was beyond the capability of industry. The wooden arches provided support for assembling the iron components as well as adding strength to the completed structure.
The result was a structure that was light-weight and economical, yet solid. It was also a visually striking structure, appropriate to its location adjacent to the Louvre. Polonceau’s structure was replaced in the 1930s.
Following his work on the Pont du Carrousel, Polonceau helped design several of the first railroads in France, including the Paris-Orléans, Orléans-Bordeaux, and Paris-Rouen Lines.
Polonceau’s son, Jean-Barthélémy Camille Polonceau, followed his father into the engineering profession. Camille designed the distinctive Polonceau roof truss. Eugene Flachat selected the Polonceau truss for use in the Saint-Lazare train station, and the roof truss features prominently in the series of paintings of the Gare Saint-Lazare by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
Antoine-Rémy Polonceau is one of the 72 engineers and scientists named on the Eiffel Tower.
