Pont Julien

Pont Julien
Roman Bridge dating from the Third Century BC
Vaucluse, Provence, France

This bridge was located on the Domitian Way which connected Narbonne to Torino.
It is located 8 km West of the little town of Apt, then called "Apta Colonia Julia,"
which gave its name to the bridge.  The bridge consists of three arches,  The central
arch is taller and wider than the other two arches.  It has a range of 46 meters,  In the
pillars, canalisations serve to facilitate the evacuation of water during floods.  Upstream,
the pillars are protected from tree trunks, carried by the current, by cutwaters which
formerly had a semicircular shape.  The construction of the bridge is made up of
large blocks of limestone quarried from the Luberon Mountains.  The length of the
 bridge is 80 meters in length, 6 meters wide, and at its maximum hieght is 11.50
meters.

Since 2005, a new bridge was built 500 meters further East, to relieve the ancient
Roman bridge after 2000 + years of continuous service!

Calavon is a small river, over which the bridge was built, which is often almost dry,
but whose current can suddenly become very important, especially during heavy rainfalls.
Just upstream are the narrow gorges and castle of Roquefure (private).  The Pont Julien
served as a link to collecting the some eight communities of, Vaucluse, Bonnieux, Goult,
Lacoste, Lioux, Menerbes, Walls, Roussillion, and St. Pantaleon.