The Millau cable-stayed bridge

The erection of the viaduct over the Tarn River, at Millau in central france began in October 2001 and is scheduled for completion in January 2005. This is a major step for-ward in the design of cable-stayed bridges, with a series of six main spans, 342 meters long, suspended from seven pylons. The roadway is 270 meters above the river, and two of the piers will be approximately 235 meters tall. With the corresponding pylons 90 meters tall, they will be higher than the Eiffel tower. Two designs have been developed, one in prestressed concrete and one in steel. This paper summarizes the history of the Millau Viaduct Project.