Viaduct Millau (Millau, in different sources in different ways. French Le Viaduc de Millau) is highest bridge in the world. It is located in France, near the small town of Millau. The highway connecting the north of France with the south passed through this provincial town. And in the summer, during the holidays, when a large flow of cars was heading from the north to the south coast and to Spain, Millau simply died in traffic jams. In order to unload this town, it was decided to let the traffic flow through the Tarn river valley over the bridge. In the competition for best project defeated Viaduct Millau...
According to the approved project, 7 pillars were to be installed in the Tarn valley. On top of them, a transport canvas is laid and pylons are installed, which, with the help of guys, will help the supports keep the canvas in balance.
Construction began on October 16, 2001. And the builders had to do a great job. The length of this structure is 2460 meters, width - 32 meters. The height of the largest of the supports is 245 meters, and together with the pylon installed on it - 343 meters, which is almost 20 meters higher!
It took 200,000 tons of concrete and 16,000 tons of metal reinforcement to build the supports. These pillars support the highway, weighing 40,000 tons, about the size of a large ocean liner, and 7 pylons, each weighing 700 tons.
The frame of the conveyor belt itself is made of metal. But it was not possible to lift huge, heavy metal blocks to the height of the supports. Therefore, it was decided to assemble the frame on the heights that will connect the bridge, and with the help of guides push it onto the viaduct supports.
To simplify the task, additional temporary metal supports were erected between the bridge supports (pictured, red).
The transport canvas was pushed onto supports from both sides. And when the two sides of the frame met each other between 2 pillars at a height of almost 300 meters from the ground, having overcome the entire length of the bridge of 2460 meters for two, their discrepancy was less than 1 cm!!!
Almost 10 thousand tons of asphalt were laid on top of the frame, pylons were installed and 154 shrouds were pulled. After the bridge passed the test of 900 tons load, 3 years after the start of construction, on December 14, 2004, Grand opening Viaduct Millau.
477 million dollars were spent on the construction of this wonderful bridge. However, paid travel for vehicles (and this is almost 50 thousand cars per day in summer period) will reimburse all costs very soon.
Let's just admire this creation of mankind.
There is an amazing miracle of engineering and design in France - the famous Millau viaduct (in the French original Viaduc de Millau). This is the highest road bridge, at least in Europe, and as a maximum in the world (it all depends on some technical aspects of determining a specific height). It is built on a cable-stayed system - that is, the bridge actually hangs in the air, but is supported by a special structure of rigid supports and flexible steel cables.
Where is Millau Bridge
The viaduct can be seen 4 kilometers southwest of the city of Millau (hence the name of the bridge itself) in southern France in the Occitania region. It is laid over the valley of the Tarn River and is part of the final section of the A75 highway connecting Paris with the city of Béziers on the Mediterranean coast.
Geographic coordinates 44.078179, 3.022670
general description
The Millau Viaduct is a fantastic sight. This bridge looks very light and airy. Its length is 2460 meters. It has 2 lanes in both directions. The total width is 32 meters, which is the equivalent of 17 adult males with outstretched arms, as shown in the figure below.
The bridge is striking in its size. As much as 343 meters in height, which is 19 meters higher than the famous Eiffel Tower. It is worth noting that this is an absolute indicator of the height of the largest support along with the pylon.
A small technical digression: The support is what goes BEFORE the bridge from below, and the pylon - the upper part is already ABOVE the bridge.
The maximum height of the roadway is 270 meters above the valley, and its thickness is 4.2 meters.
The viaduct was erected using cable-stayed technology and rests on 7 pillars with a height of 77 to 245 meters. Each of the supports is installed in 4 wells 15 meters deep and 5 meters in diameter.
The height of all pylons is the same - 87 meters. Each has 11 pairs of heavy-duty steel ropes (commonly referred to as shrouds) capable of withstanding a load of 900 to 1,200 tons each (depending on the length, the shorter the rope, the more load it will withstand). There are 154 guys here in total. Such a margin of safety is fully justified, since the weight of the steel frame of the road is 36,000 tons (and this is 4 times the weight of the same Eiffel Tower).
The Millau Bridge is not straight, but has a slight bend in the horizontal plane with a radius of about 20 km, as well as a slope of 3.025% from south to north.
Don't miss the steepest street in the world. Its slope is such that it is extremely dangerous to lose balance there.
The bridge has 8 spans. The last ones are 204 meters long, and the remaining 6 are 342 meters long.
During the construction, 85,000 cubic meters of concrete were used with a total weight of 206,000 tons, while the total weight of the bridge is about 290,000 tons.
Estimated daily traffic flow up to 25,000 vehicles.
The developer gives a guarantee of 120 years for the viaduct.
Cost of work and concession agreement
The total cost of the project is 400 million euros. To raise funds, the French government decided on a concession agreement.
Eiffage won the tender and financed the construction in exchange for the right to collect tolls for 75 years, until 2080 (this is the concession principle). But, if the concession starts to generate high revenues, the French government may take over the management of the bridge sooner.
History of the Millau Viaduct
The construction of the A75 highway and the viaduct became necessary due to the increase in traffic along the highway No9. Usually in the summer there were big traffic jams on it, because this path was chosen by most travelers seeking to neighboring Spain.
Before the Millau Bridge was put into operation, all cars passed through the city of the same name and periodically created a transport collapse there. And this is the discontent of local residents, and increased pollution environment. In addition, large traffic jams practically nullified all the advantages of the A75 highway.
Initially, 4 options for the final section of the A75 highway were considered, but in the end they settled on the construction of a bridge in the area of the city of Millau.
The development and implementation of the project was entrusted to engineer Michel Virlojo (France) and architect Noman Foster (England).
Sequence of events
- In 1987, the initial sketches are being developed
- In the autumn of 1991, a decision was made on the specific site for the construction of the bridge.
- In July 1996, the cable-stayed technology for its construction was approved.
- The concession was finally approved in October 2001
- The solemn laying of the so-called "first stone" took place on December 14, 2001
- In January 2002, the construction of the foundation for the supports began, and in September of the same year, the bridge deck was already being installed.
- The construction of the supports was completed in November 2003.
- The roads from the southern and northern sides came close to each other on May 28, 2004, and the roadway was immediately announced to join, although in fact it took several more days
- The pylons were completed in the middle of summer 2004
- Testing of the bridge under a load of 920 tons began in November 2004
- The grand opening took place on December 14, 2004 with the participation of Jacques Chirac (at that time the country's president). But the bridge was opened for traffic only after 2 days. It is noteworthy that the bridge was opened ahead of schedule(it was planned to open on January 10, 2005)
Technical features of the Millau Bridge
Such a stunning building has many interesting technical solutions and features.
Guys
Special attention should be paid to steel ropes - shrouds. The metal cable has triple rust protection.
- electroplating
- protective wax coating
- additional polyethylene extruded coating
On the outer surface of the ropes, special combs in the form of a spiral pass along the entire length. This is done to prevent rapid runoff of water over them. Without this technology, strong vibrations of the cables may occur, especially in rain with strong winds.
Viaduct Millau - bridge above the clouds road surface
The steel frame of the roadway is topped with a special type of asphalt concrete. It took 2 whole years of research to find the optimal coating formula based on mineral resin.
The material turned out to be soft enough to adapt to metal deformations without creating cracks. But it also meets the traditional road surface requirements, such as wear resistance, tire grip, density, lack of sagging and rutting.
A total of 9,000 tons of special asphalt concrete and 1,000 tons of standard asphalt concrete were used.
Electrical and security systems
Such a gigantic structure contains tens of kilometers of various electrical cables. There are as many as 30 km of high-voltage cables, 20 km of fiber-optic cables and 10 km of low-current cables. The viaduct has 357 telephone points located in different parts of the bridge. This is done for quick communication of service teams both with the control center and among themselves.
The Millau Viaduct is literally strewn with various sensors and monitoring systems for the condition of the bridge. This whole set of control equipment is designed to track the slightest vibrations and shifts of the entire structure and its individual sections. The instruments measure temperature, slope changes, wind speed and direction, and a host of other parameters.
On the largest support, the deformation of as many as 12 strain gauges is measured. They are able to catch the shift literally in a micrometer. Moreover, up to 100 measurements per second are carried out. All data on the state of the viaduct flow to the control and management center located in the area of the toll booth.
Is the Millau Bridge really the highest?
The viaduct has a lot of competitors. There are designs much higher and wider, but each has its own BUT. These are mainly measurement methods and technical features.
For example, in Colorado (one of the US states) there is the Royal Gorge Bridge (in the original Royal Gorge Bridge). It lies at a height of 321 meters above the ground, BUT - this is a bridge for pedestrians only.
Now the Millau Bridge is inferior in height to the location of the road directly to the Chinese bridge on the Siduhe River. Its height is 472 meters above the gorge. And here there is a "BUT" - the pillars of this bridge, like other highest bridges, lie on the hills, and not at the bottom of the crossed gorge. But at the Millau viaduct, the supports are installed right at the bottom of the gorge. Therefore, from a constructive point of view, it is the Millau Bridge that has the right to bear the title of the highest in the world.
The best places to see the Millau Viaduct
Of course, such a landmark bridge is clearly visible from afar, but there are places from which it looks as impressive as possible.
Cape Coast Brunas
Excellent overview of the viaduct and its surroundings. Leave Millau on the D 992 towards Albi/Toulouse. At the village of Crissel, turn onto Brunas Street and walk 5 km along a narrow road to the observation deck.
Geographic coordinates 44.070574, 3.058249
Luzenson
About a kilometer in a straight line west of the village of Saint-Georges-de-Luzençon, there is an observation deck with an excellent view of the Pont Millau. Follow the signs for Albi/Toulouse to Saint-Georges de Luzençon. Then follow the signs to the Luzenson lookout.
Geographic coordinates 44.064485, 2.969102
Peyre village
It is located on the banks of the Tarn River, just 2 kilometers west of the viaduct. Go there from Millau on the D 41 road.
Geographic coordinates 44.091668, 2.999611
Rest area on the northern edge of the Millau Viaduct
This observation deck offers unusual views of the bridge. From Millau, take the RD991 road heading north. At the Berger roundabout, 7 km from Millau, take the 4th exit towards the recreation area. Then walk about 500 meters to the south.
Geographic coordinates 44.091944, 3.022049
Lerouge Bridge
This bridge now stands on the site of the "old bridge" (Pont Vieux), washed away by a flood in 1758. From here you have an excellent view of the Millau Viaduct. Especially at sunset. This vantage point lies near the city center.
Geographic coordinates 44.092823, 3.075350
Lérouge bridge Terrace of Beffroy de Millau
This is the bell tower known as the Tower of the Kings of Aragon. The 17th century octagonal tower rises 42 meters above the center of the old town. The visit is open from mid-June to mid-September. For getting additional information visit the Millau Visitor Centre, it is located opposite the tower.
Geographic coordinates 44.097992, 3.078939
Viaduct Millau and sports
The bridge is not intended for pedestrians, but races still pass through it.
In December 2004, 19,000 runners were able to run across the bridge, but only to the first pylon. They were not allowed further, as the bridge was still closed to traffic.
May 13, 2007 - 10,496 runners still crossed the Millau Viaduct. The total distance of the race was 23.7 kilometers
Since then, races have been held here every 2 years, during which the bridge is closed to traffic for 3-4 hours.
To learn more about the viaduct, watch the following video. Ignore Millau's signature. This is just a literal translation of the French name for the Millau bridge.
on which is equipped highway. This incredible building has its own unique features that attract tourists. Find out more about the dimensions of this building, as well as other useful information, you can from this article.
Reasons for erection
The Millau Viaduct connects the capital of France, Paris, and the small town of Beziers. Even at the time of the creation of the project, many wondered why to build such an incredible structure that allows you to get into this small town. The reason lies in the fact that in Beziers there is a huge amount educational institutions, elite schools, colleges and the like.
People come here from Paris every day, and therefore it was extremely necessary to create a good road. The city of Béziers is also remarkable for tourists who want to enjoy swimming in the Mediterranean Sea during the hot season. Only twelve kilometers will have to be driven from this locality to the coastal area. That is why Beziers, despite its size, is an extremely popular place.
Second target and surrounding area
The journey to Beziers is not the only reason for the construction of the Millau Viaduct. the main problem consisted of a road junction that leads to the south of the country. National Highway 9 couldn't handle the load and was often subject to incredible traffic jams. People could wait for hours to be able to move on. This did not suit tourists who were wasting time. They could spend it on sightseeing in France.
Together with them, ordinary workers on trucks were forced to stand in traffic jams, which negatively affected their schedule. That is why it was decided to build a viaduct called Millau, which is one of the types of bridges.
Today, this building attracts not only tourists, but also photographers from all over the world. Incredible surrounding views of the Thar Valley allow you to choose the most beautiful angles. People around the world are happy to buy such images to decorate their workplaces. The most pleasant picture for tourists is the moment when clouds gather under the bridge. They cover the supports, and it seems that the bridge is floating in the air.
Information about the bridge and its construction
Famous craftsmen were involved in the construction of the Millau viaduct. The first was the Frenchman Michel Virlojo, an engineer by profession. He has already made a name for himself, thanks to many projects, among which the bridge of Normandy is an equally impressive structure.
He was joined by the architect from England Norman Foster - the winner of many awards for his work. When all the questions were clarified and contracts were concluded between the government and the design company, active work began. Already in mid-December 2004, the highest bridge in the world, the Millau Viaduct, was opened and fully operational. It is 32 meters wide and 2.5 kilometers long.
Until now, this building is one of the industrial wonders of the world, which attracts a huge number of tourists. This is a great merit of the architect Norman Foster, known throughout the world for his revolutionary decisions. It was he who almost from scratch in Berlin rebuilt the Reichstag in the form in which it was before the destruction. By doing so, he restored one of the symbols of Germany.
Data about the design company: difficulties in work
In addition to Norman Foster and Michel Virlogo, the merits of the Eiffage design company in the construction of the Millau Viaduct should be noted. Its dimensions are really impressive, but it could not be otherwise when real masters get down to business. The name of this organization has already thundered all over the world thanks to the construction of the Eiffel Tower. This business card of France has made the company an excellent reputation. This became possible thanks to the efforts of Eiffel and his design school.
The implementation of the Millau project took exactly three years, which were far from the easiest. In the process of work, the masters repeatedly encountered various problems. In the description of the construction of the Millau viaduct, it should be mentioned that the supports had to be developed each separately due to the landscape where they had to be installed.
Under the bridge there is a gorge that separates the two plateaus. During the construction of the viaduct, it was necessary to calculate the load in separate places and create unequal supports. One of them has a thickness at the base of as much as 25 meters and narrows significantly at the transport bed.
Delivery of materials
The length of the Millau Viaduct is 2.5 kilometers and the width is 32 meters, which has already been said before. It has a roadbed for eight lanes, which weighs a total of 36,000 tons. With a 3-degree slope and a curvature with a radius of 20 km, drivers have excellent visibility when traveling across the bridge.
To ensure complete safety with such parameters, it was necessary not only to design each support separately, but also to calculate the diameter and load resistance in each section with the utmost accuracy. It was because of the huge size that the construction of the bridge faced another difficulty - the delivery of materials.
The main support of the viaduct has sixteen sections, and each weighs 2.3 tons. A vehicle that could deliver such materials to this area simply does not exist. That is why they were divided into parts of 60 tons each and delivered separately. If you imagine that seven pillars with a minimum height of 77 meters were divided into parts, it is difficult to even imagine how much time was spent on delivery. Do not forget about the pylons 97 meters high, as well as 11 pairs of cables.
track
The A75 highway is currently actively operated by residents of the capital and other people. It passes through this viaduct, and therefore deserves special attention. Its construction began back in 1975, but it was only possible to complete it after the appearance of the highest bridge in the world. The A75 highway is considered an addition to the A71, which leads from Orleans to the city of Clermont-Ferrand.
First of all, its task was to redirect part of the car flow from the Rhone River valley. As mentioned above, tourists and trucks often stood in traffic jams here, and therefore the creation of an alternative route was extremely necessary.
If you drive along the A75 motorway, then you can get to the south of France quickly, since the road to the region is the most economical. The 340-kilometer canvas is completely free to use. The second important task was to connect Northern Europe with the Paris region and simplification of travel to the Mediterranean coast and Spain as well.
Records
The legendary viaduct simply could not fail to get into the Guinness Book of Records. The design set three world indicators at once, the first of which is the highest placement of the roadway. The most high point above the ground - 270 meters, and this is considered a record.
There are two more bridges that could claim this title. The first is located in Colorado, USA, and is called the Royal Gorge Bridge. The second can be seen in China, where it joins the banks of a river called Siduhe. The structure in the USA is at a height of 321 meters, but here the snag is in the types of bridges. It is intended for pedestrians, and the structure in China is located on a plateau, and the height of the supports is much less there.
Another record belongs to the height of the support together with the pylon. An indicator of 343 meters exceeds even the Eiffel Tower, which already speaks of the status of this viaduct.
The third record belongs to the supports P2 and P3, which are the highest in the world - 244.96 and 222.05 meters respectively. These facts alone are enough to visit this viaduct.
Criticism during construction
It is worth noting that during the development of the Millau Viaduct project, there was sharp criticism from the public. In France, the possibility of building something truly legendary is often questioned. So it was with eiffel tower in Paris, as well as with the famous Sacré-Coeur Basilica.
Opponents of the construction spoke publicly and said that the bridge would be unsafe. As arguments, they cited possible shifts at the bottom of the gorge. The second argument was that the expenditure of resources would never pay for itself. At the same time, the presence of a bypass may negatively affect the tourism industry in the city of Millau.
They even talked about the fact that it is simply illogical to use such technologies on the A75 highway. Only now, those responsible for the construction of the personality were ready for this, and they gave their explanations for a huge number of negative fears. The wave of protests did not stop even after that, and for three years the activists continued to insist on their own.
A win-win solution
The Millau Viaduct (France) was built in three years, and 400 million euros were spent on it, which is already an incredible amount. The passage through this bridge was made paid, as it was erected at the expense of the design company, which was mentioned above.
If for 78 years of operation they can earn 375 million euros on it, then the viaduct will pass into the possession of the state free of charge. If this does not happen, then the government will have to compensate for all losses. At the payment point, additional lanes are even opened during the season so that 16 cars can simultaneously pass through this wonderful structure.
Forecasts say that the design company Eiffage will not be able to recover the costs. Only now this will not hit their budget much, and the viaduct is a confirmation of their capabilities. That is why money is not very important here.
One of the main wonders of the industrial world can safely be attributed to the famous Millau Bridge, which is the owner of several records at once. Thanks to this giant bridge, stretching over a huge valley of the river called Tar, uninterrupted and high-speed movement from the French capital of Paris to the small town of Béziers is ensured. Many tourists who come to see this highest bridge in the world quite often ask themselves: “Why was it necessary to build such an expensive and technically complex bridge that leads from Paris to the very small city of Beziers?” The Millau Viaduct was built with the sole purpose of unloading the national highway, which constantly formed huge traffic jams during the season, and tourists traveling in France, as well as truck drivers, were forced to stand idle for hours in traffic jams. It is worth noting that the passage through the viaduct, which "soars above the clouds", is paid, which does not affect its popularity among drivers. Vehicle and guests of the country who came to see one of the most amazing wonders of the industrial world.
Bridge characteristics
The Millau Viaduct Bridge comprises an eight-span steel roadbed supported by eight steel piers. The weight of the roadway is 36 thousand tons, the width is 32 meters, the length is 2.5 kilometers, the depth under the bridge is 4.2 meters. The length of all six central spans is 342 meters each, and the two outer spans are 204 meters long each. The road has a slight slope of 3%, descending from the south side to the north, it is built with a curvature radius of 20 kilometers in order to give drivers best review. The movement of vehicles occurs in two lanes in all directions. The height of the columns ranges from 77 to 246 meters, the diameter of one of the longest columns is 24.5 meters at the base, and 11 meters at the roadbed. Each base has 16 sections, one section has a weight of 2.3 thousand tons. Sections were already assembled on site from separate parts. Each individual part of the section has a mass of 60 tons, 17 meters in length and 4 meters in width. Each pillar supports pylons that are 97 meters high. First, the columns were assembled together with temporary supports, then parts of the canvas were moved along the supports using jacks, which were controlled from satellites. The speed of movement of parts of the canvas was 600 millimeters in 4 minutes.
The legendary Millau Viaduct, which every self-respecting bridge builder knows about and which is considered a model of technological progress for all mankind, was designed by Michel Virlajo and architect Norman Foster. The latter, by the way, was engaged in the reconstruction of the Berlin Reichstag. True, the British Queen made N. Foster a knight and baron not for this. The talent of N. Foster made the Millau Viaduct one of the modern wonders of the world.
In a well-coordinated tandem, the Eiffage group, N. Foster and M. Virlajo developed the Millau Bridge, which was inaugurated on December 14, 2004. Already two days after the event, the first cars drove along the final link of the A75 highway. Interestingly, the first stone in the construction of the viaduct was also laid on December 14, only in 2001, and the start of large-scale construction started on December 16, 2001. Apparently, the builders planned to coincide with the opening date of the bridge to the date of the start of its construction.
Despite the fact that the best architects and engineers were involved in the project, it was extremely difficult to build the highest road bridge in the world. By and large, there are two more bridges on our planet that are located above Millau above the surface of the earth - this is the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado in the USA (321 meters above the ground) and the bridge connecting the two banks of the Siduhe River in China. True, in the first case we are talking about a bridge that can only be used by pedestrians, and in the second - about a viaduct, the supports of which are located on a plateau and their height is incomparable with the supports and pylons of Millau. It is for these reasons that the French bridge is considered the most difficult in terms of design and the highest automobile bridge in the world.
How it's made
Some of the pillars of the A75 terminal link are located at the bottom of the gorge that separates the "red plateau" and the Lazarka plateau. To make the bridge completely safe, French engineers had to develop each support individually: almost all of them have different diameters and are clearly designed for a certain load. The width of the largest support of the bridge reaches almost 25 meters at its base. True, in the place where the support is connected to the roadway, its diameter narrows noticeably.
The workers and architects who developed the project had to face a whole host of difficulties during the construction work. Firstly, it was necessary to strengthen the places in the gorge where the supports were located, and secondly, quite a lot of time had to be spent on transporting individual parts of the canvas, its supports and pylons. It is enough just to imagine that the main support of the bridge consists of 16 sections, the weight of each of them is 2.3 thousand tons. Looking ahead a little, I would like to note that this is one of the records that belongs to the Millau Bridge.
Naturally, vehicles that could deliver such massive parts of the supports do not yet exist in the world. For this reason, the architects decided to deliver parts of the supports in parts (if I can put it that way, of course). Each piece weighed about 60 tons. It is quite difficult to even imagine how long it took the builders only to deliver 7 supports to the bridge construction site, and this is not counting the fact that each support has a pylon a little over 87 meters high, to which 11 pairs of high-strength guys are attached.
However, delivery building materials to the object is not the only difficulty faced by the engineers. The fact is that the valley of the Tar River has always been distinguished by a harsh climate: heat, quickly replaced by piercing cold, sharp gusts of wind, steep cliffs - only a small part of what the builders of the viaduct had to overcome. There is official evidence that the development of the project and numerous studies lasted a little over 10 (!) Years. Work on the construction of the Millau Bridge was completed in such difficult conditions, one might say, in record time - it took only 4 years for the builders and other services to realize the idea of the authors of the project.
The pavement of the Millau Bridge, like its project itself, is innovative: in order to avoid the deformation of expensive metal canvases, which will be quite difficult to repair in the future, scientists had to invent an ultra-modern asphalt concrete formula. The metal sheets are quite strong, but their weight relative to the entire giant structure can be called insignificant (“only” 36 thousand tons). The coating had to protect the canvases from deformation (be "soft") and at the same time meet all the requirements of European standards (resist deformation, be used for a long time without repair and prevent the so-called "shifts"). Even with the use of the most cutting-edge technologies, it is impossible to solve this problem in a short time. The composition of the roadway was developed for almost three years. By the way, the asphalt concrete of the Millau Bridge is recognized as unique in its kind.
Pont Millau - harsh criticism
Despite the long development of the plan, well-defined solutions and big names of architects, the construction of the viaduct initially caused sharp criticism. By and large, in France, any construction is sharply criticized, remember at least the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Opponents of the viaduct construction said that the bridge would be unreliable due to shifts at the bottom of the gorge, that it would never pay off, that the use of such technologies on the A75 highway was unjustified, that the bypass would reduce the flow of tourists to the city of Millau. This is only a small part of the arguments that ardent opponents of the construction of a new viaduct addressed to the government. They were listened to and each objection was given an authoritative explanation. However, the opponents, which included some influential associations, did not calm down and continued their protests almost all the time while the bridge was being built.
How much did it cost
The construction of the most famous French viaduct took, according to the most conservative estimates, at least 400 million euros. Naturally, this money had to be returned, so the passage through the viaduct was made paid: the point where you can pay for the “travel through the miracle of modern industry” is located near the small village of Saint-Germain. More than 20 million euros were spent on its construction alone. The toll booth features a huge covered canopy that took 53 giant beams to build. In the season, when the flow of cars along the viaduct increases sharply, additional lanes are used, of which there are 16 at the “checkpoint”. At this point, there is also electronic system, which allows you to track the number of vehicles on the bridge and their tonnage. By the way, the term of the Eiffage concession will last only 78 years, which is how much time the state allocated to the group to recoup its expenses.
Most likely, even the company will not be able to recover all the funds spent on the construction. However, such unfavorable financial forecasts in the group are viewed with irony. Firstly, Eiffage is far from poor, and, secondly, the Millau Bridge served as another proof of the genius of its specialists. By the way, the talk that the companies that built the bridge will lose money is nothing more than fiction. Yes, the bridge was not built at the expense of the state, but after 78 years, if the bridge does not bring profit to the group, France will be obliged to pay the losses. But if Eiffage manages to earn 375 million euros on the Millau Viaduct earlier than in 78 years, the bridge will become the property of the country free of charge. The term of the concession is, as already mentioned, 78 years, until 2045, but the group of companies gave a guarantee for the bridge for 120 years.
Traveling on the four-lane Millau Viaduct does not cost sky-high prices, as one might think. Passage of a car along the viaduct, the height of the main support of which is higher than the Eiffel Tower itself (!) And only slightly lower than the Empire State Building, will cost only 6 euros (in season - 7.7 euros). But for two-axle trucks, the fare will be 21.3 euros, for three-axle trucks - almost 29 euros. Even motorcyclists and people moving along the viaduct on scooters have to pay: the cost of traveling along the Millau Bridge will cost them 3 euros and 90 euro cents, respectively.
(from open sources)
There is in Southern France, near the city of Millau, one unique structure - a cable-stayed road bridge, thrown over the valley of the Tarn River. The skyscraper bridge unleashes the busy highway connecting Paris and Barcelona in the shortest way. Its construction cost 400 million euros, and it is planned to charge a fee for the pleasure of riding on it over the next 78 years.
By the way, it is correct to call this construction a “viaduct”, that is, the same bridge, but thrown over a gorge, ravine or a whole valley, as in the case of Millau. Yes, and no matter how much you would like to slip into English by reading the name in the form of “Millau”, you should not do this. That's right - Miyo 🙂
There are 7 observation platforms in the area of the viaduct, well marked on the map >>
There you can find their description and other useful information.
We visited two of them. First, the lower Cap de Coste-Brunas, indicated on the diagram at number 1. It offers a view from the bottom of the valley, and the bridge supports look like real giants, especially compared to the bugs-cars scurrying below. There are seven pillars in total, the second of which they like to compare with the Eiffel Tower, not in favor of the latter. I immediately remembered those sweetly bewitching experiences that covered during the third level of the Eiffel (310 meters). How about organizing a climb to the Millau pylons?!
11 pairs of cables are attached to each of the pylons, supporting the road:
The 32m wide roadbed is four lanes (two lanes in each direction) and has two spare lanes. To resist deformation of the metal sheet due to traffic, the Appia research team has developed a special mineral resin asphalt concrete. Relatively soft in order to adapt to the deformation of the steel without cracking, however, it had to have sufficient stability to meet the road criteria (wear, density, structure, grip, resistance to deformation - rutting, sagging, shearing, etc. .). It took two years of research to find the "perfect formula".
To the ground - 270 meters, yoklmn!
But the most impressive views are from the height of the hill near the observation deck L'aire du Viaduc de Millau (number 7 on the diagram). From there you can clearly see that the viaduct is… crooked! The 20 km radius of curvature allows vehicles to follow a more precise path than if it were a straight line, and gives the viaduct the illusion of never-ending.
The fare now is 6.10 euros from cars (in July and August it is more expensive), which is practically a robbery for 2.5 kilometers. But the project must somehow pay off ...
While Millau was being built, it was the highest transport bridge, but in 2009 the Chinese built the bridge even higher, even further ... and te de. True, there is a nuance: the Chinese bridge passes over a gorge half a kilometer deep, but its supports are not at the bottom. Therefore, another question is who is higher and how to calculate: by the height of the pylons or by the height of the roadway.
View of the “sails” of the viaduct from the main observation deck. People, by the way, come here with their wine, sit on the parapets, admire the beauty and sip. We also joined 🙂
Each bridge support stands in four wells 15 m deep and 5 m in diameter, and all of them are equipped with big amount measuring devices - anemometers, accelerometers, inclinometers, temperature sensors, which collect detailed information about the "behavior" of the viaduct and transmit it to the service center located along with the toll station.
The valley through which the viaduct is thrown. The roads below, though secondary, are of excellent quality.
The green river Tarn, the creator of the valley. Despite its meek appearance, it is known for catastrophic floods.
And this is the village of Millau, which shared its name with the viaduct. At first, the locals were very happy about the construction of the bridge. Like, now the cars will drive on top, will not pollute the air and create traffic jams. But over time, a side effect also surfaced: a decrease in the number of tourists passing through Millau has a negative effect on the town's economy.
In general, a visit to the Millau Viaduct and related observation platforms was very impressive. A sort of new attraction in southern France, which must be included in the itinerary, especially when traveling by car.
Location: Tarn Valley, France.
