The Millau Viaduct
A towering cable-stayed bridge across the Tarn gorge, opened in 2004.
Last updated
commons:User:Mike Switzerland · via Wikipedia: Millau Viaduct · CC-BY-SA-2.5
Where it is
Coordinates: 44°04′44″N 3°01′19″E (44.0790, 3.0220) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Millau Viaduct (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
Completed in 2004, the Millau Viaduct is a multispan cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Tarn gorge valley near Millau in southern France.[1] With a structural height of 343 meters, it held the title of world's tallest bridge for over two decades, until late 2025.[1]
Geography and history
The low solution was abandoned because it would intersect the water table and cost more.[2] During the 1980s, road traffic congestion near Millau in the Tarn valley was severe, particularly during summer holiday travel.[3] For a long time, officials had considered creating a bypass around Millau to reduce travel times for through traffic and enhance access for local businesses and residents.[3] Spanning the river and gorge valley with a road bridge was one proposed solution.[3]
On 28 June 1989, a ministerial decree selected the fourth route option, which allowed for either a high or low solution.[2] A ministerial decree on 29 October 1991 finalized the choice of the high solution.[2]
What the cited sources add
The BBC reported that the bridge is 23 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower.[4] The BBC's Chris Bockman noted that cars travel 245 meters above the Tarn Valley on the Millau Bridge.[5] The BBC stated that the bridge cost 394 million euros and its highest point is 343 meters.[4] The BBC's Chris Bockman wrote that the bridge forms part of the A75 motorway linking northern Europe to the south.[5]
The BBC noted that the bridge bypasses Millau and links two existing sections of motorway.[6] The BBC reported that the company has shouldered the 260 million euro construction cost in return for the right to collect tolls for 75 years.[7] According to the BBC, the French construction firm Eiffage funded the project in exchange for a 75-year concession to collect toll revenue.[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Millau Viaduct" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "France shows off tallest bridge", BBC News Online, 14 December 2004; "France 'completes' tallest bridge", news.BBC.co.uk, 29 May 2004; Chris Bockman, "France builds world's tallest bridge", BBC News Online, 4 November 2003; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Millau Viaduct" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Le viaduc de Millau : un ouvrage exceptionnel initié par le ministère de l'équipement, op. cit., p.4 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Millau Viaduct" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Millau Bridge, page 2", news.BBC.co.uk (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "France shows off tallest bridge", BBC News Online, 14 December 2004. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
- Chris Bockman, "France builds world's tallest bridge", BBC News Online, 4 November 2003. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
- "The Millau Bridge, page 2", news.BBC.co.uk. facts only, no text reused. news.BBC.co.uk
- "France 'completes' tallest bridge", news.BBC.co.uk, 29 May 2004. facts only, no text reused. news.BBC.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Millau Viaduct (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Millau Viaduct (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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