Completed in 1896, the Briare Aqueduct in central France is one of the world's most impressive navigable aqueducts, stretching 662 meters across the Loire River. Until the Magdeburg Water Bridge opened in 2003, it held the title of the longest steel canal bridge in the world. Designed by engineers Léonce-Émile Mazoyer and Charles Sigault, the aqueduct's masonry piers were built to support a massive steel trough crafted by the company of Gustave Eiffel, who designed the ornate structural ironwork and pylons.
The steel trough contains over 13,000 tons of water, held in place by 662 meters of riveted steel plating. Designed to solve the dangerous navigational challenges of crossing the unpredictable Loire River directly, the aqueduct allowed canal barges to pass smoothly between the Canal de Briare and the Canal latéral à la Loire. To withstand the immense hydrostatic pressure and thermal expansion, Eiffel's firm incorporated sophisticated structural ironwork, cast-iron lamps, and decorated stone pilasters, blending industrial utility with Belle Époque aesthetic elegance.
Today, it remains a functional waterway and a monument to 19th-century civil engineering.