Five years ago, the highest road bridge in the world was opened

Millau (France)/Prague - Five years ago, on December 14, 2004, French President Jacques Chirac ceremoniously opened the highest road bridge in the world at Millau in southern France. Its roadway is 32 meters wide, rises to a height of 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 23 meters, thus becoming the tallest structure in France.
    The elegant structure arches over the Tarn River valley, connecting sections of the highway between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers, and significantly shortens the connection between northern France and the Mediterranean and Spain. It has eliminated the traffic jams that regularly formed in the summer at Millau, which were the terror of all drivers.
    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 fifteen years of studies. The bridge was built and fully financed by the French company Eiffage, which has a concession for its use until 2080. Its construction cost 394 million euros, or more than eleven billion crowns.