Chirac opens world's tallest bridge

In mid December France's President Jacques Chirac, dedicated the world's tallest bridge, the Milleau Bridge across the Tarn Valley east of the town of Millau, and 550km south of Paris.

About 2.5km long it runs through the Massif Central mountains, to open a new north-south link on the A75 autoroute between Paris and the Mediterranean and further on, Barcelona in Spain.

At this time of year the bridge is expected to carry 10,000 vehicles a day and at the height of summer, close to 30,000 a day.

Car toll fees will range from $A8.63 in winter to $A11.45 in summer while truck operators will have to pay $A40 year-round.

At 343m tall at its highest, it dwarfs Sydney's Centrepoint Tower (304.5m), Melbourne's Rialto Tower (253m) and is more than twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge above the water (141m). It cost $A694 million and took three years to build. It is 16m taller than the Eiffel Tower.

The organisation that undertook the project, Compagnie Effiage du Viaduct de Milleau, has a 75-year operating concession in exchange for financing the structure and toll station. It employed British architect Norman Foster to design its seven pillars holding suspension cables.

The structure weighs about 86,000t with 27,000m 3 of concrete, 19,000t of reinforcing steel and 5000t of suspension cables.

The biggest problem lay in building the 36,000t deck. Precast concrete was launched from both ends across temporary piers.