Freyssinet awarded for its renovation works on the Corniche Kennedy in Marseille
The shores of the Mediterranean are reputed to be peaceful places, but this is not the case for seaside structures! The Corniche Kennedy in Marseille, a pedestrian promenade of more than 3 kms running from the Catalans beach to the Prado beach in Marseille and a listed site since 1924, is no exception.
This promenade is made up of two walkways separated by a concrete bench over almost 3 kms (the longest in the world according to a Marseille proverb), and by a number of sections corbelled over the sea.
The structure has been particularly affected by the very harsch marine environment.
What are the working steps?
In 3 phases of work from September 2019 to April 2022, Freyssinet France deployed its numerous repair and reinforcement skills, notably dry shotcrete and additional prestressing. All the structures benefited from impressed current cathodic protection, either to treat corrosion or as a preventive measure.
What is cathodic protection?
It is a technique that reduces or cancels the corrosion rate of a metallic material, in the presence of an aqueous environment, by decreasing the corrosion potential of the metal (cathodic polarisation hence the term cathodic protection).
The renovation work received an award from the American Concrete Institute, a technical and education organization dedicated to improving the design, construction, manufacture and maintenance of concrete products and structures worldwide.
Main project stakeholders:
Owner: Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence
Design & engineering: setec diadès
Contractor : consortium Eiffage / GTM SUD / COLAS
Photography: Lisa Ricciotti
