Normandie bridge

The new cable-stayed bridge over the Seine river near Le Havre has an 856 meter span that exceeds the previous world record by 60%. Almost trouble-free construction was among the rewards, along with innovations in viaduct building, pylon design, and cable stay technology. The central span is constructed with 32 steel box segments in lengths of about 20 meters. A third of this structure is made of high strength steel, which enabled weight savings and optimized both fabrication and erection costs.

HSS S 460NL permitted use of thinner eye plates in the box girders, reducing weight and fabrication costs. Further reductions were achieved by using S 420M in the edge plates. Additional weight savings came from the use of S420M in trapezoidal stiffeners at the edges (not center) of the box.