From the beginning of the 17th century, several attempts took place to link the Louvre and the boulevard Saint-Germain by a pedestrian bridge, to the right of the rue du Bac, in order to replace the paying ferry that recalls the name of this road. After several attempts at construction of bridges destroyed by high water in the Seine, the construction of a new bridge was ordered by Louis XIV. Jules Hardouin was instructed to build a bridge in stone. The five-arch bridge was constructed between 1685 and 1689 using the best materials and the very finest stone. Since its construction it has only been slightly modified. Is is a listed historic monument.