In the Roman predecessor to Paris, Lutetia Parisiorum, a bridge was built to utilize the convenient ford of the Seine, today's Île de la Cité.

[3] Further, after a flood destroyed the structure again in 1393, the construction of another stone bridge on the site was funded by a tax of 9,500 livres on the Jews living in Paris.

Upon completion, houses were constructed atop the bridge, many erected later by the Italian architect Fra (friar) Giovanni Giocondo, who also worked on the Pont Notre-Dame, while in the service of the king of France between 1496 and 1499.

Designed by the architect Alexandre Michal, and built by Ernest Gariel, the present Petit Pont was begun in 1852 to provide more adequate clearance between the water and the bridge.

[3] The Petit Pont is centrally located in Paris' 4th and 5th arrondissements, connecting the Île de la Cité, one of the two natural islands on the Seine within the city limits, to the Rive Gauche (French: Left Bank.