27. Case 23: Millau Viaduct—The Tallest Bridge, France

Millau viaduct is one of the largest cable stayed bridges in Europe. It is the tallest bridge in the world with a structural height of 336.4 m. In 2012, Mexico’s Baluarte Bridge surpassed Millau as the world’s highest cable-stayed bridge. The bridge spans 2 km valley in the Massif central mountain range. The bridge is 2.4-km-long and 270 m above the river at its highest point. Millau duct forms the final link in the A75 highway from Paris to Barcelona. The bridge forms the part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Beziers and Montpellier. The subsidiary Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM) of Eiffage was awarded the primary contract for the construction of the bridge during August 2001. The project involving the construction of a road bridge to span river and gorge valley was designed to reduce congestion near the Tarn valley due to traffic on the route from Paris to Spain. This bridge holds several records such as the highest pylons in the world (245 m and 221 m), the highest bridge tower in the world (343 m) and the highest road bridge deck in Europe (270 m). The builder Eiffage financed the construction under a concession agreement to collect the tolls for 75 years until 2080. The concession agreement stipulated that in case of high revenues, the French government can assume control of the bridge as early as the year 2044.The successful integration of the project into the landscape has resulted in Viaduct becoming a major tourist attraction and the town of Millau experienced significant economic boost.