Worksite and the Workers
Since 1994 several companies that specialize in the restoration of historic monuments have worked on the Pont Neuf. Due primarily to budgetary considerations, the City of Paris solicited bids that resulted in five different teams working on the site over the past thirteen years. Overall supervision of the work is the responsibility of the chief engineer for Paris bridges and an on-site city engineer.
Most of the restoration work deals with the removal and replacement of large pieces of stone. New stone is quarried and cut, block by block, to exact specifications from detailed plans drawn up by the bridge architects.
For some tasks, enormous effort is expended. Others merely require patience and perseverance. To the left: a group of burly stone masons struggles to reposition a large block; and to the right: the lone female mason on the project scores an exposed surface.
 
1994
1994
In the photo below, three stone masons are in the process of redoing one of the turrets. Behind the workmen can be seen the rough stone of the bridge's original interior. And, of course, the work is being closely supervised by the two mascarons!
 1994
A work team consists of a foreman, a small group of stone masons, and some laborers.
The team members, many of them from the provinces, live and work on site four days a week; they arrive very early Monday morning and leave Thursday evening. There are several prefabricated structures on the quay next to the bridge that house a dormitory, a kitchen/dining area, and an office/conference room. In this photo, the foreman and one of his stone masons are preparing lunch.
1998
On some occasions, such as when delivery of bulky stone elements requires a crane that would block part of the roadway, work begins before dawn or is done after midnight.
2000
|
