Blending in with the level features of the landscape, a pedestrian bridge which its designers call a "jetty" will cross the Couesnon and the sands. Just a line, barely visible from a distance, it will stand on a row of thin piers leading to the earth platform and the Mont...

Visitors will leave their cars at the parking facility, and then enjoy the peace and quiet as they cross the salt meadows for a kilometre along the redesigned causeway, either on foot or in the shuttle.

Coming off the road onto the pedestrian bridge will be smooth, with no break. Pedestrians will walk on either side of a central reservation used by the shuttles which is a few centimetres lower.An oak floor - like a jetty floor - will mark out the pedestrian areas. Over time it will weather to a grey colour as wood does in sea water...

European design competition prizewinning team: Feichtinger Architects, Dietmar Feichtinger, Architect, Paris / BET Schlaich, Bergermann & Partner, Stuttgart.

Visitors to the Mont will arrive on foot... At the end of the pedestrian bridge, a gently sloping slipway will take them down onto an earth platform leading to the Porte de l'Avancée some 300 metres further on..

Where the car park and the causeway now stand will be a spot from which to look out at the ramparts and across the bay. when the tide comes in, the earth platform will become a ford - magic! The Mont will then be linked to the mainland via a raised passage for visitors to cross over safely.

For tidal coefficients up to 95, the earth platform will lead to the Mont via the Porte de l'Avancée then through the small side gate (coefficients up to 103). For bigger tides, the Mont will be accessed via a footpath through the rocks.

For a few hours each year, the Mont will be completely cut off by the very big flood tides. This will fully restore the symbolism of Mont St Michel.

This was one of the targets set when launching the project back in 1995. Personal safety had a bearing on the design of the link between the pedestrian bridge and the rock.

Even when it is under water, as it will be for a few hours each year during the biggest spring tides, the ford will be usable at all times by specialist emergency vehicles.
Its height has been set at 7.30 m, to give a better view of the ramparts and create insularity during spring tides, at the same time ensuring safety on the Mont and avoiding logistical difficulties.
To meet the Mont's day-to-day needs (deliveries, building work, services), authorized vehicles will be allowed across the pedestrian bridge to park on the earth platform when the tide is right.

European competition prizewinning team : Feichtinger Architects, Dietmar Feichtinger, Architect, Paris / BET Schlaich, Bergermann & Partner, Stuttgart