With its spectacular silhouette lines—somewhat reminiscent of the St. Louis Gateway Arch–The Millau Viaduct, which spans across the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France, is one of the most impressive engineering ventures in the world. The bridge’s highest tower soars to 1,125 feet, making it the tallest cable-stayed road bridge in the world. Interestingly, the Millau Viaduct’s tallest towers surpass the Eiffel Tower (986 feet) and are almost as tall as the Empire State Building (1,250 feet). It is the 12th highest bridge in the world at 890 feet high below road deck (The Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall) and spans 8,071 feet (1 ½ miles).
The Millau Viaduct, completed in December 2004, was constructed to alleviate congested traffic on the route from Paris to Barcelona during the summer vacation months. This modern engineering marvel was developed by French engineer Michel Virlogeux and British designer Norman Foster.
Remarkably the Millau Viaduct took only took three years to complete. Typically a cable-stayed road bridge is built in sections and then lifted and put into position with cranes. Since the bridge was close to 900 feet high, a new technique had to be used. After building the towers, engineers constructed the roadway on either side of the towers and then rolled the two sides into the center. The new technique carried several engineering risks but proved to be efficient in constructing the roadway.
