The bridges and roads department (ponts et chaussées) held a special press visit inside the bridge on Thursday.

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Constructed in 1963 to connect the upper town to the Kirchberg plateau, the Grande-Duchesse Charlotte Bridge - colloquially known as the Red Bridge - has been undergoing renovation since 2015.

Orange helmets on, the visitors were guided over the bridge and inside the structure near the theatre, through a steel gate.

No daylight, and the constant hum of cars and the tram passing overhead made for an interesting if claustrophobic journey. More than 20,000 cars cross the bridge each day.

Inside, a vast dark room opens onto a forest of metal beams that support and stabilise the 4,900 ton construction. The visit continued until the midway point of the bridge. Visitors with a good head for heights were able to peer down into the bridge's foundations, where stairs descend steeply to the four feet of the bridge.

The renovation work to strengthen the structure is complete, but the outside is yet to be repainted - no small task, as it covers 50,000 square metres.

The company which carried out the renovations is still on the hunt for a painter, as the last one went bankrupt a month ago.