Millau Viaduct -A world-class bridge, a unique blend of architectural and structural design!!
By: Civil Engineering Consortium Iit Roorkee
Tags: Civil Engineering, Construction, Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architecture

“The Millau viaduct takes its place among our most shining works of civil engineering. It brilliantly embodies the verve of our research and technology. A monument to French daring and enterprise” – French President Jacques Chirac, December 2004.

For many years, local authorities had been trying to solve acute traffic bottlenecks in the town of Millau, on the main north-south route between Paris and the Mediterranean. In the summer months, the situation worsened with drivers taking almost three hours to cross the steeply sloped valley. A radical solution to the traffic bottleneck was required: a structure that carries the A75 highway safely “from causse to causse” (high plateaus that characterise the region) across the 250 m deep and 2.5km wide valley of the River Tarn. To respect the beautiful scenery of the area, an outstanding design was needed…

To cut the travel time from the South of France to Spain, they built a road through clouds!

With the architect, Lord Norman Foster, Michel Virlogeux, SODETEG and SERF, Arcadis designed a state-of-the-art multi-span cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed high-performance concrete for piers and high strength steel for decks and pylons. It is the world’s longest multiplier cable-stayed bridge, at just 40 m short of 2.5 km, and the highest at 343 m(That’s about 19 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower!!). Seven piers step across the valley over the River Tarn to support the deck. Its form perfectly fits its function and structural behaviour. The result is a striking and elegant structure. The bridge is intended to last for at least 120 years.

The Viaduct cost somewhere in 310 million Euros to build and officially opened for business in 2004. The bridge’s construction was financed by the construction company, Eiffage, in return for being granted the right to charge tolls for the next 75 years. However, should the toll costs rise too much, the French government reserved the right to assume control from 2044. The viaduct is widely considered a great technical and architectural feat and has won various awards since its inauguration. These include, but are not limited to, the 2006 Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.

The bridge’s construction was financed by the construction company, Eiffage, in return for being granted the right to charge tolls for the next 75 years. However, should the toll costs rise too much, the French government reserved the right to assume control from 2044.

The viaduct consumed 127,000 cubic meters of concrete, 19,000 tonnes of steel for reinforcing the concrete and a further 5,000 tonnes of pre-stressed steel for the cables and shrouds. Her builders have claimed that the bridge should last for at least 120 years. The viaduct has seven concrete piers supporting her superstructure of 16 steel roadway sections. The viaduct has six carriageways with hard shoulders all held in place with 154 steel cable stays.