The suspension bridge was successfully tested by the ‘Ponts et Chaussées’ administration at the end of August 1825, after static load tests and then the passage of heavily loaded convoys.

It was inaugurated and opened for the first time to the public on August 25, 1825, on the occasion of the “Onion Fair”, a Tournon fair of medieval origin which then lasted three days! It was a considerable popular success: the Seguin brothers were celebrated in both cities for a whole week: cannon shots, blessing by the bishop, banquet on the bridge, popular balls, parades, aubades, songs, etc.

Marc Seguin, who was already known in the region as an engineer, then became a popular figure of national stature.

The negotiation of the toll for the Tournon-Tain suspension bridge is the subject of difficult negotiations between the Seguins and the governmental administration.

It takes into account the estimated price of the bridge (190,000 francs), an exceptionally low price compared to masonry bridges, and the traffic previously recorded by the ferry that it replaced.

The latter’s toll was ultimately more or less renewed for the benefit of the Seguins, which proved to be most beneficial for them.

Indeed, the Tournon-Tain structure is immediately overwhelmed by considerable traffic.

The Seguin brothers, who had anticipated the technical commercial success of the bridge, finally decided to do without the anticipated shareholders, the bourgeois of the two towns, and to assume the construction risk alone.

It was a complete success and Marc Seguin saw it, a few years later, for his family as “the beginning of our fortune”.