Pont de Bir-Hakeim

The Pont de Bir-Hakeim — French pronunciation: [pɔ̃ d(ə) biʁakɛm], (English: the Bridge of Bir-Hakeim), named after the 1942 battle in Libya; formerly the Pont de Passy ([pɔ̃ d(ə) pasi], (the Bridge of Passy), until 1948 — is a steel open spandrel deck arch bridge on stone masonry starlings, which crosses the River Seine in Paris. It connects the 15th and 16th arrondissements, passing over the north-east end of the Île aux Cygnes, (the Isle of the Swans). The bridge, made of steel, was constructed between 1903 and 1905, in replacement of a footbridge that had been erected in 1878. The bridge has two levels: one for motor vehicles and pedestrians, the other being a rail viaduct (the Viaduc de Passy) built above the first one, through which passes Line 6 of the Paris Métro. The bridge is 237 metres (778 ft) long and 24.7 metres (81 ft) wide. The part crossing the Grand Bras ('great anabranch') of the Seine (west from the island) is slightly longer than the one crossing the Petit Bras ('small anabranch').