Technology: Millau Viaduct - A Bridge Taller Than the Eiffel Tower

© Raphael Gaillard
© Stephane Compoint
© Eric Cabanis
© Jean-Philippe Arles
According to the engineers’ descriptions, the?Millau viaduct over the River Tarn in the southern Massif Central of France is the tall-est bridge structure in the world. If the height of a?bridge is measured from the bottom of?the valley to the surface of the carriageway, the Royal George Bridge in Colorado, USA, (321?m), would outdo the Millau viaduct, which is only 270?m high; but the latter boasts the highest bridge pier ever built: at 342 m, it is taller than the Eiffel Tower. Opened for traffic at the end of 2004, the 2,460-metre-long multiple cable-stayed bridge is innovative both in its concept and in the form of assembly. Formerly, the route through the quiet town of Millau and across the Tarn valley was a bottleneck, with long delays and queues of traffic. Today, the 2.46-kilometre drive over the viaduct takes only a matter of minutes. (Georg Küffner)