It was a real thunderbolt that struck this Monday north of the Saône docks, at the location of the construction site that plans to transform the docks into a beautiful tree-lined promenade. Since the end of March, the workers and excavators suddenly had to halt their work. The reason: "a collapse of the riverbank wall plunging into the Saône was discovered, at the level of the lower dock, under construction" as explained by the Metropolitan services.
A sudden halt
Just as the city was preparing to witness the emergence of a true urban oasis with 130 trees, 8,600 bushes, and 11,000 perennials, a "disorder" as delicately named by the Metropolitan, came to disrupt the plans. Investigations revealed undercutting, meaning cavities dug by erosion from the currents of the Saône, right at the base of the wall. A scenario that certainly was not in the original plans.This led to an emergency mobilization of city services. To prevent the wall from taking on more water, precautionary measures are being taken and will continue until the end of April. This includes filling the erosive cavities and reinforcing the wall with riprap. Fortunately, there is no impact on the rest of the quays or the upper part of the terraces. A €18 million project put on hold The project of the Terrasses de la Presqu'île, estimated at €17.9 million, promises to transform the banks of the Saône into a real green lung in the heart of Lyon. In reality, the former Saint-Antoine parking lot will become a huge riverside garden of 8,500 m². But for now, nature seems to be reminding human ambitions, causing a bit of a disruption in this bold urban transformation.