World’s Tallest Bridge
The tallest vehicular bridge in the world is the 1,125 foot tall Millau Viaduct which spans the River Tarn Valley in France.
Built by the Eiffage group, which also constructed the 62-foot-shorter Eiffel Tower, the Millau Viaduct is only 125 feet shorter than the Empire State Building in New York City. It opened to traffic on December 14, 2004.
The bridge was built to clear the heavy congestion that plagues the nearby town of Millau at the beginning and end of the July and August vacation season. It was the last link in the A75 autoroute, a continuous high-speed motorway between Paris and the French Riviera.
The bridge cost £390 million ($517m) to build (you could build over 65 identical bridges for less than the cost of the Iraq War…)
The Eiffage group, under a government contract which allows the company to collect tolls until 2080, charges each automobile £5.10 ($6.70) to pass. The fare goes up to £6.80 ($8.94) during the peak summer months. With 10,000 travellers per day (25,000 during peak season), the bridge should pay for itself in a decade.
Colossal Engineering Feat
The Millau Viaduct has eight steel roadway spans between seven concrete piers. The 1.52 mile roadway, with two lanes of traffic in each direction, weighs 36,000 tons.
Second Highest Span
Although the Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge, it’s 885 foot high deck is only the second highest bridge at roadway elevation. A much higher bridge span crosses the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, U.S., where you can stroll 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River.
And now…take a motorcycle ride across the Millau Viaduct:
Read more Amazing, Orgasmic, and Fantastic Facts: Amasnic Fact Off Archive.
Read More: Millau Viaduct, Eiffage group, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Royal Gorge Bridge
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