Flooding collapsed the bridge several times before it was rebuilt in stone in 1507. As was usual for the time, it was a hub of local activity due, in part, to its numerous shops and houses (demolished in1786). In 1853 a new bridge was built on the foundations of the old, but its central spans became such a navigational headache for boat-men that the bridge became known as the “Pont du Diable”, or Devil’s Bridge.

Between 1914 and 1919, the three central spans were replaced by a single one, while the two exterior spans (dating back from 1853) were left intact. Since then, the bridge has remained unchanged.

The Pont Notre Dame is situated over the widest branch of the Seine, linking place du Châtelet on the right bank to the Palais de Justice on the Ile de la Cité. It is sister to the “Petit Pont” straddling the Seine’s narrow branch to the South.