The highest road bridge in the world was opened 15 years ago

Millau (France) – Fifteen years ago, on December 14, 2004, French President Jacques Chirac officially opened the tallest road bridge in the world by height of its bridge structure near Millau in southern France. Its roadway is 32 meters wide, rises up to 270 meters above the ground, and the tallest of the seven pylons reaches a height of 343 meters, surpassing the Eiffel Tower by 19 meters. The bridge has become the tallest structure in France.

The elegant viaduct spans the valley of the Tarn River, connecting sections of the highway between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers and significantly shortens the connection between northern France and the Mediterranean as well as Spain. Thanks to the bridge, traffic jams that occurred regularly during the summer near Millau have been eliminated.

This technical marvel, 2460 meters long, is the work of British architect Norman Foster and was built in a record short time of three years. However, its construction was preceded by 15 years of studies. The bridge was constructed and financed by the French company Eiffage, which has a concession for its use until 2080. The construction cost 394 million euros (more than 11 billion crowns).

The highest bridge in the world (measured from the ground) was opened in 2016 in southwestern China between the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. The Beipanjiang Bridge (also known as the Dugu Bridge) is suspended above a river at a height of 565 meters.