Millau Viaduct, France 2026 ....The Worlds Tallest Bridge.*

My 2026 journey over the Millau Viaduct was 21 years late!!! but still fabulous. Also see my other videos including a telephoto lens view....which i like most. tallest bridge in the world in some measurements. Some interesting stuff about the viaduct copied from the net: The Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the Europe, standing at 343 meters (1,125 feet) high. It spans 2,460 meters (8,070 feet) across the Tarn Gorge in southern France and was opened to traffic in December 2004. # The Millau Viaduct: Amazing Facts and Statistics The Millau Viaduct in southern France is one of the most extraordinary feats of modern engineering. Designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, it carries the A75 motorway across the Tarn Valley. It opened to traffic in December 2004, after just three years of construction. Millau Viaduct Here are some of its most impressive statistics, including the important distinction between the height of the bridge above the valley and the altitude of the road above sea level. The most astonishing statistics 1. Around 600 metres above sea level The road crosses the Tarn Valley at roughly 600 metres above sea level, although the exact altitude varies along the bridge. This is a different measurement from the bridge's height above the river. The best-known figure is 270 metres above the Tarn River at its highest point. Viaduc de Millau 2. A maximum height of 343 metres The tallest point of the structure reaches 343 metres above the ground below — taller than the Eiffel Tower's 330-metre height including its antenna. This measurement includes the steel pylon above the road deck, not just the concrete support. Millau Viaduct Millau Viaduct by Foster + Partners - Architizer 3. A 245-metre concrete pier The tallest supporting pier, known as P2, rises 245 metres to the road deck — comparable to an 80-storey building. It is one of the defining engineering achievements of the project. Viaduc de Millau 4. Almost 2.5 kilometres long The bridge measures 2,460 metres (2.46 km) and is approximately 32 metres wide. Its deck comprises eight spans, including six central spans of 342 metres each. Viaduc de Millau What is the incline of the road? OFFICIAL LONGITUDINAL GRADIENT 3.025% Rising from north to south, towards the Larzac plateau 3.025 metres of rise for every 100 metres travelled horizontally. Approximately 74 metres of total elevation gain across the bridge. Equivalent to an angle of approximately 1.73°. The deck also follows a very gentle horizontal curve with a radius of 20 kilometres. Viaduc de Millau More remarkable facts | Feature | Fact | | --- | --- | | Road deck length | 2,460 m | | Road deck width | 32 m | | Highest concrete pier | 245 m | | Steel pylons above the deck | 87 m | | Number of concrete piers | 7 | | Number of cable stays | 154 | | Weight of the steel deck | 36,000 tonnes | | Concrete used | Approximately 85,000 m³ | | Construction period | 3 years | | Official opening | December 2004 | | Original construction cost | Approximately €400 million, including the toll plaza | Sources: the official Millau Viaduct website and its construction company, Eiffage. Viaduc de Millau +2 Why these numbers are so impressive The really remarkable thing about the Millau Viaduct is that three different heights are often confused: 270 metres: how high the road deck sits above the Tarn River at its highest point. 245 metres: the height of the tallest concrete pier supporting the deck. 343 metres: the maximum height of the complete structure above the ground beneath it. The altitude above sea level is a fourth, separate measurement. Approximately 600 metres is a useful geographical estimate for the road's altitude, rather than a verified official figure for every point along the deck. Taken together, these figures explain why the Millau Viaduct is such a striking engineering achievement: it carries a motorway across a deep valley on a deck nearly two and a half kilometres long, supported by exceptionally tall piers, while maintaining a relatively gentle gradient. Millau Viaduct