Construction of the “New Bridge” began in 1578 but due to design changes and the cost and disruption of the Wars of Religion, it was not completed until 1607. Unlike the Pont Notre-Dame, the Pont Neuf does not include houses along its span, though it was designed with structures in mind. A bronze statue of King Henri IV “the Great” sits at the center of the span where it crosses the Île de la Cité .