Sidi Rached Viaduct

The Sidi Rached viaduct was completed in 1912 and carries a road into the old town of Constantine across the Rhumel gorge on twenty-seven stone arches, the largest of them spanning seventy metres, with the deck around a hundred metres above the riverbed at its highest point. It is built entirely of cut stone, which was unusual at that date when steel and concrete were available, and the result is a structure that reads as part of the rock rather than as an addition to it. Seen from below or from the bridges upstream it is the defining image of the city, and it remains in daily use carrying traffic into the centre.

What's there

• Twenty-seven stone arches - the sequence carrying the road across.
• A seventy-metre main span - the largest arch of the viaduct.
• Cut stone construction - built without steel or concrete in 1912.
• The view from the gorge below - the structure against the rock face.

When to go

October to May. One hour. The best views are from the paths in the gorge and from the other bridges rather than from the deck itself.

Practical notes

From the deck you see very little of the bridge. Traffic is heavy and the footway narrow. Paths into the gorge are informal, steep and littered. Air pollution in the valley reduces visibility.

Nearby

The Sidi M'Cid bridge is upstream; Ahmed Bey palace lies in the old town.

Key facts