If someone asked you to imagine an especiallyimpressive bridgework , you ’d plausibly picture an super long one . Maybe China’sDanyang - Kunshan Grand Bridge , which , at 102 mile long , holds the Guinness World Record forlongest bridgework in the world . Or Louisiana ’s Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge , whose 23.87 miles earned it the Guinness nod for “ long bridge over water ( continuous ) . ”
But bridge can pull ahead renown for their tiptop , too . Take France ’s Millau Viaduct , which carries drivers across the Tarn River in Creissels , a southern Gallic commune about an hour and a half ’s drive northeast of Montpellier . This cable television - stay bridge spans 2460 meters , or a little over 1.5 international nautical mile — not incisively record - breakage . Its summit , on the other manus , is . According toBritannica , the bridge itself is 270 meters ( nearly 886 feet ) above the flat coat , and its tall pillar reach out 340 metre ( about 1115 feet ) . TheEiffel Toweris1063 feet tall — feeler admit — make the Millau Viaduct thetalleststructure in France . It ’s also the tallest bridge in the world .
The Millau Viaduct , part of France ’s A75 motorway , aid travelers total from Paris get to the Mediterranean coast as efficiently as possible . It was developed by French engineer Michel Virlogeux and Foster + Partners , the British architectural firm thatwonthe 1996 competition to design the bridge . They smash ground in 2001 , and the Millau Viaduct officially unfold for byplay in December 2004 .
“ We were attracted by the elegance and logic of a complex body part that would march across the heroic landscape painting , and in the most minimal way connect one plateau to the other , ” leading architect Norman Foster said in apress releaseat the metre .
The team ’s commitment to maintaining the artistic beauty of the countryside proved successful : The Millau Viaduct is breathtaking in its own right , and it also cut down on traffic . A honest profits - win .
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