In 2016, some parts of the Petite Ravine railway viaduct, built between 1878 and 1881, were identified and its position determined during field walking surveys. Discovered on a Réunion railway exploratory mission, these remains are among the oldest railway works still visible today.
Petite Ravine viaduct: a history
The island’s geography did not make the work of the Cie du Chemin de fer et du Port de la Réunion (C.P.R.) any easier. Between Trois-Bassins and Saint-Leu, a viaduct was built from 1878 to 1881 across the vast Petite Ravine gully at Km 87 + 923 metres. The bridge was built from cut basalt rubble stone with hydraulic lime from Teil in the Ardeche and lime from the island, produced by calcinating coral; it is 114.5 metres long with five arches, each with an opening of 18 metres; it is 3.5 metres wide and 35 metres high, and nearly 145 metres above sea level, making it the highest point on the line.
Field walking surveys
The Petite Ravine viaduct spans a deep gully between Trois-Bassins and Saint-Leu. The former rail viaduct is now a road viaduct on the RN 1. The viaduct’s architecture can be admired from a disused section of the former main road.
