It is slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and only 38 meters (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. The metallic road deck, which appears very light despite its total mass of around 36,000 tonnes (40,000 short tons), is 2,460 metres (8,070 ft) long and 32 metres (105 ft 0 in) wide. The A75 now provides a direct, high-speed route from Paris to the Mediterranean coast and on to Barcelona. The abutments are concrete structures that provide anchorage for the road deck to the ground in the Causse du Larzac and the Causse Rouge. [citation needed], Detailed studies were carried out by the successful consortium, steered by the highways authority until mid-1998. [citation needed], Numerous organisations opposed the project, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), France Nature Environnement, the national federation of motorway users, and Environmental Action. But the architecture of infrastructure has a powerful impact on the environment and the Millau Viaduct, designed in close collaboration with structural engineers, illustrates how the architect can play an integral role in the design of bridges. [13] It encompassed two possibilities: After long construction studies by the Ministry of Public Works, the low solution was abandoned because it would have intersected the water table, had a negative impact on the town, cost more, and lengthened the driving distance. '"The Millau Viaduct is a magnificent example, in the long and great French tradition, of audacious works of art, a tradition begun at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the great Gustave Eiffel," … The Millau Viaduct is the world’s tallest cable-stayed bridge. Before the bridge was built it took over 3 hours to traverse the Tarn River valley! The Royal Gorge suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Colorado is also higher, with a bridge deck approximately 291 metres (955 ft) over the Arkansas River. In 2012, Mexico's Baluarte Bridge surpassed Millau as the world's highest cable-stayed bridge. The Millau Viaduct (French: Viaduc de Millau, IPA: [vjadyk də mijo]) is a multi-span cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in Southern France. The tapered form of the columns both expresses their structural loads and minimises their profile in elevation. The 'high solution' required the construction of a 2,500-metre-long (8,200 ft) viaduct. Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed bridge located in Southern France. The exterior envelope of the stays is itself coated along its entire length with a double helical weatherstrip. Musée de Millau Archaeology, pottery and glove-making. [10] The first plans for a bridge were discussed in 1987 by CETE, and by October 1991 the decision was made to build a high crossing of the Tarn by a structure of around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in length. The objective of the viaduct would not be achieved; because of the toll, the viaduct would be little used, and the project would not solve Millau's congestion problems. In 2004, a fire started on the slope of the, The Chinese transport minister at the time visited the bridge on the first anniversary of its opening. The pylons of the Millau Viaduct, which are the tallest elements (the tallest pylon – 244.96 metres (803.7 ft)) were produced and mounted by PAECH Construction Enterprise from Poland. [6][7][8][9], In the 1980s, high levels of road traffic near Millau in the Tarn valley were causing congestion, especially in the summer due to holiday traffic on the route from Paris to Spain. The speed of construction then rapidly increased. The technical difficulties were too great, and the bridge would be dangerous and unsustainable; the pylons, sitting on the. To win the contract the team promised to build it in record time i.e. The 'ideal formula' was found after two years of research. less than 4 years. Millau-viadukten (fransk:Viaduc de Millau) er en skråstagsbro beliggende i Frankrig.Broen krydser dalen, som har gennemløb af Tarn-floden, tæt på byen Millau i det sydlige Frankrig. [11], In July 1996 the jury decided in favour of a cable-stayed design with multiple spans, as proposed by the Sogelerg consortium led by Michel Virlogeux and Norman Foster. Wallpaper Design Awards – Best New Public Building, Millau Viaduct Wins Gold at the 'Design & Art Direction Awards', Spectacular new viaduct opens in the South of France. © Copyright 2021 Foster + Partners. One of the solutions considered was the construction of a road bridge to span the river and gorge valley. The cost of this work amounted to € 5.8 million: Unusually for a bridge closed to pedestrians, a run took place in 2004, and another on 13 May 2007:[citation needed], 2004 bridge across Tarn near Millau, France, Learn how and when to remove this template message, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, information and communication technologies, Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections, List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans, "The 10 greatest engineering feats of the decade", "10 greatest modern day engineering marvels of the world", "Top 10 modern engineering marvels in the world", "Décret 2001-923 du 8 octobre 2001 approuvant la convention de concession passée entre l'Etat et la Compagnie EIFFAGE du viaduc de Millau pour le financement, la conception, la construction, l'exploitation et l'entretien du viaduc de Millau et le cahier des charges annexé à cette convention", "ARCADIS tekende voor hoogste brug ter wereld", "Final hydraulic launch successfully closes last gap in the Millau Viaduct in the south of France", "Database of ICT companies in the Walloon Region", "The art of cable-stayed bridges on the Meuse and all over Europe", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJWblykm9Tc, https://acivengstudent.com/2019/09/06/millau-viaduct-bridge/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlbTNJ0AU1Y, "A specific surfacing extensively tested! Now it is literally a 5 minute drive at 65 mph. By July 1993, seventeen structural engineers and thirty-eight architects applied as candidates for the preliminary studies. He has signed several other famous buildings, including the Millennium Bridge in London. Displacements of the deck on the abutment level are measured to the nearest millimetre. The Viaduc de Millau. Each mechanism atop the pylons consisted of a computer-controlled pair of wedges under the deck manipulated by hydraulic. Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau: Construction start: 16 October 2001: Construction Finish: 14 Desember 2004: Construction Cost: € 394.000.000: Opened: 16 Desember 2004: Toll: From € 8,30 . Not only does this give the bridge a dramatic silhouette, but crucially, it also makes the minimum intervention in the landscape. Five consortia tendered:[citation needed], Piers were built with Lafarge high performance concrete. [5] The bridge has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest engineering achievements of modern times, and received the 2006 Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. Many tourists heading to southern France and Spain follow this route because it is direct and without tolls for the 340 kilometres (210 mi) between Clermont-Ferrand and Pézenas, except for the bridge. The toll plaza is protected by a canopy in the shape of a leaf, formed from tendrilled concrete, using the ceracem process. [2][3][4] As of September 2020,[update] it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 336.4 metres (1,104 ft). Each strand has triple protection against corrosion (galvanisation, a coating of petroleum wax, and an extruded polyethylene sheath). The surface is somewhat flexible to adapt to deformations in the steel deck without cracking, but it must nevertheless have sufficient strength to withstand motorway conditions (fatigue, density, texture, adherence, anti-rutting etc.). [18], The sliding shutter technology for the bridge piers came from PERI. There are 7 piers that are numbered from the northern end of the valley. View the interactive image by Rousseau Enzo. After this, the temporary pylons could be removed. The concept and design for the bridge was devised by French designer and structural engineer Dr Michel Virlogeux. Some would say it's also not the most elegant. Each half of the assembled road deck was pushed lengthwise from the plateaus to the pylons, passing across one pylon to the next. With a roadway 909 feet (277 mtrs) above the Tarn River, it is also the highest cable stayed bridge in the world, a recor… After undergoing wind tunnel tests, the shape of the road deck was altered, and detailed corrections were made to the design of the pylons. These are designed to detect the slightest movement in the Viaduct, and measure its resistance to wear-and-tear over time. Any delay was to cost them 30,000 dollars a day in penalties. There were four shafts per pylon; 15 metres (49 ft) deep and 5 metres (16 ft) in diameter, assuring the stability of the pylons. [1] Because the government had already taken the design work to an advanced stage, the technical uncertainties were considerably reduced. The project would never break even; toll income would never amortise the initial investment, and the contractor would have to be supported by subsidies. La construction du viaduc a nécessité de nombreuses compétences, tant au niveau de la conception que de la réalisation de l'ouvrage. A millau-i völgyhíd vagy millau-i viadukt (franciául Viaduc de Millau, kiejtése kb. The six central spans measure 342 metres (1,122 ft), and the two outer spans are 204 metres (669 ft). It was built over three years, formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic two days later on 16 December. [17] They carried out the general calculations and the resistance calculations for winds of up to 225 kilometres per hour (140 mph). [23], The electrical installations of the viaduct are large in proportion to the size of the bridge. The Viaduc de Millau. Millau viaduct holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower), 2460 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn valley in only 9 places. The westernmost route would be better, longer by 3 kilometres (1.9 mi), but a third of the cost with its three more conventional structures. This apparatus is capable of taking up to 100 readings per second. Viaduc de Millau, Millau Picture: machine de la construction - Check out Tripadvisor members' 3,902 candid photos and videos. He worked with the Dutch engineering firm Arcadis, responsible for the structural engineering of the bridge.[14]. This new bridge, opened on the 14th December 2004, replaces the bridge crossing the River Tarn in the centre of the town of Millau. Being the tallest of all, it is therefore under the most intense stress. The Millau Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. The total cost was €20 million. ", Brocuéjouls Farm on the Midi-Pyrénées heritages website, Inauguration of the rest area of Millau Viaduct, "l'École de Paris du management — Ecole de Paris", "Top Gear TV > Supercars across France, part 4/4 (series 7, episode 3)", Millau Viaduct on the Aveyron touristic website, Jiangsu Nanjing Broadcast Television Tower, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Millau_Viaduct&oldid=1007699351, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from April 2017, All articles needing additional references, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Pages using infobox bridge with unknown parameters, Articles containing potentially dated statements from September 2020, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2017, Articles with disputed statements from January 2015, Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2018, Articles needing additional references from December 2012, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 336.4 m (1,104 ft) (max pylon above ground). [citation needed], The only other business that had a notable role on the building site was Freyssinet, a subsidiary of the Vinci Group specialising in prestressing. The cable stays are also instrumented, and their ageing meticulously analysed. The solution of a multiple-span viaduct cable-stayed bridge, presented by the structural engineering group Sogelerg, Europe Etudes Gecti and Serf, and the architects Foster + Partners was declared the best. At times of low traffic volume, the central booth is capable of servicing vehicles in both directions. Berita. The cost of construction was approximately € 394 million ($ 424 million). Near the bridge is a permanent visitors’centre with stunning views of the bridge and across the valley which it spans. Historia. Add text, web link, video & audio hotspots on top of your image and 360 content. More info here, French Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Housing, Tourism and Sea, EEG (Europe Etudes Gecti), Sogelerg, SERF, Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Infrastructure, Singapore Construction Excellence Award - Civil Category, Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, Staalbouwwedstrijd / Concours Construction Acier – Winner International category, IABSE (International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering) Outstanding Structure Award, The Building Exchange (BEX) Award – Best Use of Architectural or Structural Design in a Regeneration Scheme, 2nd Place. The builder claims that the lifetime of the bridge will be at least 120 years. The bridge goes over the Millau valley and the river Tarn. The farm and its surroundings can accommodate entertainment and tourism promotion activities.[26]. [citation needed], The bridge road deck was constructed on plateaus at both ends of the viaduct, and pushed onto the pylons using bridge launching techniques. Viaduc de Millau: A magnificent construction! Bridges are often considered to belong to the realm of the engineer rather than that of the architect. Millau Viaduct construction south.jpg 800 × 468; 55 KB Viaduc de Millau (7).jpg 1,044 × 1,408; 373 KB Viaduc de Millau (construction) - Début du lancement de la charpente métallique côté nord.JPG 2,048 × 1,536; 743 KB However, while the Eiffel Tower may be France's most famous landmark, it's not the tallest. All Rights Reserved. [22], Each of the seven pylons[4] is supported by four deep shafts, 15 metres (49 ft) deep and 5 metres (16 ft) in diameter. ), €1 million for the restoration of the old farm building of Brocuéjouls (all two tranches), 336.4 metres (1,104 ft): height of Pier 2, the tallest (245 metres or 804 feet at the roadway's level), 270 metres (890 ft): average height of the roadway, 4.20 metres (13 ft 9 in): thickness of the roadway, 32.05 metres (105 ft 2 in): width of the roadway, 10,000–25,000 vehicles: estimated daily traffic, 20 kilometres (12 mi): horizontal radius of curvature of the road deck, December 2004 – 19,000 walkers and runners of the. When the details were eventually finalised, the whole design was approved in late 1998. The engineering group Setec has authority in the project, with SNCF engineering having partial control. The incredible Millau Viaduct bridge was opened in December 2004 and is the highest bridge in the world, standing 270 meters (890 feet) over the Tarn River and is more than 340 meters (1,125 feet) in height at the top of its highest mast. [citation needed], The pylons, road deck, masts, and cable stays are equipped with a multitude of sensors to enable structural health monitoring. [citation needed], The competition was relaunched: five combinations of architects and structural engineers, drawn from the best candidates of the first phase, were formed; each was to conduct in-depth studies of one of the general designs. The bridge, made out of steel and concrete, gives the viaduct a strong fine structure with only 7 points along the construction supporting it and 1,500 tonnes of live wire covering the surface of the bridge. A quantifiably taller (and arguably more elegant) structure is the Millau Viaduct, which spans the River Tarn near the town of Millau in southern France. - See 2,453 traveler reviews, 1,583 candid photos, and great deals for Millau, France, at Tripadvisor. The cost of construction was approximately € 394 million. Plusieurs milliers d’hommes ont uni leur énergie et leur ingéniosité pour participer à cette œuvre unique. On 15 July 1996, Bernard Pons, minister of Public Works, announced the decision of the jury, which was constituted of elected artists and experts, and chaired by Christian Leyrit, the director of highways. The design team was led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster. There is now a linear distance between the two wedges equal to the distance forward the roadway has just moved. Taking into account technical, architectural, and financial issues, the Administration of Roads opened the question for competition among structural engineers and architects to widen the search for realistic designs. [citation needed], The construction Millau Viaduct broke several records:[citation needed], Since opening in 2004, the deck height of Millau has been surpassed by several suspension bridges in China, including Sidu River Bridge, Baling River Bridge, and two spans (Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge and Beipan River Hukun Expressway Bridge) over the Beipan River. - See 2,453 traveler reviews, 1,583 candid photos, and great deals for Millau, France, at Tripadvisor. Viaduc de Millau: A magnificent construction! [19][20][21], The mast pieces were driven over the new road deck lying down horizontally. Wiadukt Millau (fr. There are 30 kilometres (19 mi) of high-current cables, 20 kilometres (12 mi) of fibre optics, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of low-current cables, and 357 telephone sockets; allowing maintenance teams to communicate with each other and with the command post. [citation needed], The steel road deck, and the hydraulic action of the road deck were designed by the Walloon engineering firm Greisch from Liège, Belgium,[16] also an information and communication technologies (ICT) company of the Walloon Region. (4) The upper wedge moves backward, placing it further back along the roadway, adjacent to the front tip of the lower wedge and ready to repeat the cycle and advance the roadway by another increment. Before the bridge was constructed, traffic had to descend into the Tarn valley and pass along the route nationale N9 near the town of Millau, causing much traffic congestion at the beginning and end of the July and August holiday season. However, if the concession yields high revenues, the French government can assume control of the bridge as early as 2044. [citation needed], Twelve fibre optic extensometers were installed in the base of pylon P2. Management was handled by Eiffage Concessions. Thanks to a system of shoe anchorages and fixed rails in the heart of the pylons, a new layer of concrete could be poured every 20 minutes. [clarification needed] Appia (company) [fr] was responsible for the job of the bituminous road surface on the bridge deck, and Forclum (fr) for electrical installations. The central box beams have a 4 metres (13 ft 1 in) cross-section, and a length of 15–22 metres (49–72 ft) for a total weight of 90 metric tons (99 short tons). [citation needed], The Eiffage group, which constructed the Viaduct also operates it, under a government contract, which allows the company to collect tolls for up to 75 years. Consisting of 53 elements (voussoirs), the canopy is 100 metres (330 ft) long and 28 metres (92 ft) wide. These sensors detect movements on the order of a micrometre. Its construction broke several records: it has the highest pylons in the world, the highest road bridge deck in Europe, and it superceded the Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure in France. [2][4] As of 2018, the toll bridge costs €8.30 for light automobiles (€10.40 during the peak season of 15 June to 15 September). The idea is to avoid running water which, in high winds, could cause vibration[dubious – discuss] in the stays and compromise the stability of the viaduct. This system can distinguish between fourteen different types of vehicle. The 2,000 cubic metres (2,600 cu yd) of concrete necessary for the treads was poured at the same time. Comprised of 8 consecutive cable stayed spans totaling 8,100 feet (2460 mtrs), the viaduct is the tallest bridge structure in the world with a pier and mast rising a lofty 1,100 feet (335 mtrs) above the ground. Total distance: 23.7 kilometres (14.7 mi). An engineering marvel! Post navigation. The bridge, made out of steel and concrete, gives the viaduct a strong fine structure with only 7 points along the construction supporting it and 1,500 tonnes of live wire covering the surface of the bridge. By continuing to use this website, you agree to the use of cookies. Each of its sections spans 342 metres and its piers range in height from 75 metres to 245 metres, with the masts rising a further 87 metres above the road deck. Oct 2001 the team broke ground they required to build bridge that will last for 120 years. Before the Chinese built the new bridge over the Yangtze River, the Millau Viaduct was the tallest bridge in the world. - See 2,451 traveler reviews, 1,583 candid photos, and great deals for Millau, France, at Tripadvisor. Jest najwyższą tego typu konstrukcją w Europie, z najwyższym filarem o wysokości 341 m. Długość trasy prowadzącej przez wiadukt wynosi 2 460 metrów. … The toll plaza is on the A75 autoroute; the bridge toll booths and the buildings for the commercial and technical management teams are situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of the viaduct. Viaduc de Millau: Some construction! 5 km and crosses the Tarn River . The Millau Viaduct (French: Viaduc de Millau, IPA: [vjadyk də mijo]) is a multi-span cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in Southern France.The design team was led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster. From 1991 to 1993, the structures division of Sétra, directed by Michel Virlogeux, carried out preliminary studies, and examined the feasibility of a single structure spanning the valley. The fourth option was selected by ministerial decree on 28 June 1989. [citation needed], The project required about 127,000 cubic metres (166,000 cu yd) of concrete, 19,000 tonnes (21,000 short tons) of steel for the reinforced concrete, and 5,000 tonnes (5,500 short tons) of pre-stressed steel for the cables and shrouds. These are situated on the deck, on the pylons, and on the masts. As of September 2020, it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 336.4 metres (1,104 ft). The deck has an inverse airfoil shape, providing negative lift in strong wind conditions. One particularly busy area, near the town of Millau, about 120 km west of Avignon, is about to get a spectacular new bridge that is expected to cut travel times by as much as 2 hours. Officially opened December 14, 2004. During 1995–1996, a second definition study was made by five associated architect groups and structural engineers. The commission was impressed by the technical prowess of the bridge's immense construction, but also by the legal and financial assembly of the Viaduct. Opponents advanced several arguments:[citation needed], Two weeks after the laying of the first stone on December 14, 2001, the workers started digging the deep shafts. Anemometers, accelerometers, inclinometers, temperature sensors are all used for the instrumentation network. The wedges were hydraulically operated, and moved repeatedly in the following sequence: (1) the lower wedge slides under the upper wedge, raising it to the roadway above, and then forcing the upper wedge still higher to lift the roadway; (2) Both wedges move forward together, advancing the roadway a short distance; (3) The lower wedge retracts from under the upper wedge, lowering the roadway and allowing the upper wedge to drop away from the roadway; the lower wedge then moves back all the way to its starting position. [citation needed], All the member companies of the Eiffage group had some role in the construction work. In addition to hydraulic jacks on each plateau pushing the road decks, each pylon was topped with a mechanism on top of each pylon that also pushed the deck. Société du Viaduc de Millau, including the French companies ASF, Egis Projects, GTM Construction, a consortium led by Générale Routière, with Via GTI (France) and. A further advantage of this process was to make negotiating the contract easier, reducing public expense, and speeding up construction, while minimising such design work as remained for the contractor. Additionally, two piezoelectric sensors gather traffic data: weight of vehicles, average speed, density of the flow of traffic, etc. view of the Tarn valley, with the town of Millau, from the north end of the Viaduct de Millau [the Viaduct is behind viewer] Millau has a population of slightly more than 22,000 people, and has recently recruited two extra staff at the Tourist Office to help with queries about … Record breaking viaduct. Located in southern France, the bridge completes a hitherto missing link in the A75 autoroute from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers across the Massif Central. Millau viaduct 1. With a … A method of bypassing Millau had long been considered, not only to ease the flow and reduce journey times for long-distance traffic, but also to improve the quality of access to Millau for its local businesses and residents. Millau Viaduct Commentary. The pieces were joined to form the one complete mast, still lying horizontally. The bridge crosses the River Tarn, which runs through a spectacular gorge between two high plateaux. 13 May 2007 – 10,496 runners took the departure of the race from Place de Mandarous, in the centre of Millau, to the southern end of the Viaduct. Millau They also applied the launching technology. Depending on their length, the cable stays were made of 55 to 91 high tensile steel cables, or strands, themselves formed of seven strands of steel (a central strand with six intertwined strands). [citation needed] In February 1995, on the basis of proposals of the architects and structural engineers, and with support of the school of experts, five general designs were identified. Between each of them, eleven stays (metal cables) are anchored, providing support for the road deck. It is part of the A75 to link Paris with Barcelona. The A75, with the A10 and A71, provides a continuous high-speed route south from Paris through Clermont-Ferrand to the Languedoc region, thence to Spain, considerably reducing the cost and time of vehicle traffic travelling along this route. Every three days, each pylon increased in height by 4 metres (13 ft). Viaduc de Millau: High construction - See 2,452 traveler reviews, 1,577 candid photos, and great deals for Millau, France, at Tripadvisor. In March 2001, Eiffage established the subsidiary Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM), and was declared winner of the contest and awarded the prime contract in August. Accelerometers placed strategically on the road deck monitor the oscillations that can affect the metal structure. Truly a site to behold! Viaduc de Millau: Spectacular construction! It is 343 meters high, a world record. [2] It was built over three years, formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004,[1][2] and opened to traffic two days later on 16 December. Commissioned in 2004, the Millau viaduct (Aveyron), on the A75 motorway linking Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers, is a record-breaking bridge, not only in terms of sheer dimensions - 343 m high for the highest pier and 2,460 m long - but also because it required fourteen years’ preparation work and three years’ construction work... with the mobilisation of all Eiffage’s divisions, i.e. Explore Aug 5, 2012 #232 On se demande comment c'est possible de faire des choses pareilles : une merveille ! [13], After the choice of the high viaduct, five teams of architects and researchers worked on a technical solution. 3. Interestingly, alternative readings of the topography suggested two possible structural approaches: to celebrate the act of crossing the river; or to articulate the challenge of spanning the 2.46 kilometres from one plateau to the other in the most economical and elegant manner. [12][1], In initial studies, four potential options were examined:[citation needed]. In this way, each mast was erected on top of the corresponding concrete pylon. The builders, Eiffage, financed the construction in return for a concession to collect the tolls for 75 years,[2][3] until 2080. Although historically the river was the geological generator of the landscape, it is very narrow at this point, and so it was the second reading that suggested the most appropriate structural solution.