Bridge in the south of France. Millau Viaduct in France - the most beautiful and highest bridge in France

One of the most famous landmarks southern France. Every year it is visited by about 500,000 tourists, who use the observation decks equipped near the bridge to explore. This is the calling card of the Aveyron department, despite the fact that the bridge was built quite recently - in 2001-2004. The length of the bridge is 2460 meters, the height at the highest point of the roadway is 270 meters to the water level in the Tarn River.

The Millau Viaduct (Viaduc de Millau) is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. The entire bridge structure consists of thin trusses fastened to a steel platform, which allows for the most efficient distribution of loads. Thanks to this, the entire bridge has only seven supports on the ground, but this does not prevent it from successfully withstanding the winds in the valley, the speed of which can reach more than 200 km/h.

The authors of the project were the French engineer Michel Virlogeau, previously known for his participation in the design of the second longest (at the time of construction of the Millau Viaduct) cable-stayed bridge in the world - the Normandy Bridge, and the English architect Norman Foster.

MILLAU VIADUC (VIADUC de MILLAU) ON THE MAP

At the time of construction it was the highest transport bridge in the world. One of its supports is 341 meters high, which is slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower.

Currently Millau Viaduct in terms of the maximum height of the span above the lower part of the valley (river surface), it surpassed the bridge over the Siduhe River in Hubei Province in China, opened to traffic on November 15, 2009 (472 m). However, the height of the supports of its pylons installed within the valley remains the highest, since the supports of the “Chinese” bridge were not installed at the bottom of the gorge. So the design The Millau viaduct (Viaduc de Millau) remains the most high design bridge in the world currently.

Near Millau Viaduct there are 7 observation platforms where local residents and tourists come to admire the structure and the Tarn Valley in the vicinity of Millau. Many people bring their families, food, wine, and settle down on the site for several hours, relaxing in the fresh air. It must be said that this is a national trait of the French: the same picture can be observed in the Pyrenees, and in the Alps, as well as in other observation platforms, which offer wonderful views of the valley.

There is a charge to travel across the Millau Viaduct. For a passenger car when entering the bridge you will have to pay 8.30 € (in July and August, when the heat peaks in the region, it is more expensive, almost 10.4 €), if the car has a trailer (caravan) the fee increases to 12.40 € (15.6 € in July and August). Traveling across the bridge on a motorcycle will cost about 5.1 euros (all data is for 2018). However, it is better for tourists to go around such bridges using an alternative free route. It will be cheaper, and you can admire the beauty instead of just a moment of contemplating the metal barriers of the toll road.

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Rationale and Objectives

The main purpose of the construction of the Millau Viaduct: become part of the A75 motorway and link the city of Clermont-Ferrand with the city of Béziers. Bringing this project to life required thirteen years of technical and financial research.

Research began in 1987, and the bridge was put into operation on December 16, 2004. Construction Millau Viaduct lasted three years, with a project cost of 320 million euros. The entire project was financed and built by the Eiffage group of companies under a 75-year concession.

The construction of the viaduct contributed to the development of commercial and industrial activity in the Aveyron department, and also had a beneficial effect on overcoming the “black spot” in the Millau region. Tourism around the Millau Viaduct received quite widespread development, and its construction attracted considerable interest from many politicians.

The Millau Viaduct itself (Viaduc de Millau) has become one of the most famous attractions of the Aveyron department.

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Project problems

If the benefits of a highway crossing the Tarn River valley are undeniable and were obvious even at the stage of making the decision to build such a highway, some difficulties still arose during its construction. Most of the questions were raised by the need to cross the Tarn River valley. Here it was necessary to resolve the issues of overcoming the wind, which in the valley reaches speeds of more than 200 km/h, and also take into account seismic and climatic features of this area.

Over the course of 3 years (1988-1991), four research companies carried out surveys, laboratory studies, and calculations, on the basis of which four options for a possible solution to the problem of overcoming the Tarn Valley were developed:

The option called "grand Est" involved passing the highway east of Millau and crossing the valley through two large bridges, 800-1000 meters long.

The second version of the “grand Ouest” provided for the passage of the highway through the Kerno Valley and was several tens of kilometers longer in length than the previous version.

The third option, “proche de la RN9,” provided for the passage of the highway in close proximity to the RN9 highway, which would have a positive impact on the development of the region and the city of Millau in particular. But the implementation of this option did not take place due to possible adverse consequences on the anthropogenic environment of the region;

The fourth “median” option involved laying a highway west of Millau, which received wide approval from the local population. However, some difficulties arose in the implementation of this project, which emerged after geological exploration of the area. After some time, however, experts confirmed that these difficulties can be overcome. As a result of this, by the Ministerial Decision on June 28, 1989, it was decided to build this particular version of the project.

In this case, it was necessary to choose one of two options for its implementation:

The first option involved crossing the Tarn River valley by erecting a cable-stayed bridge about 2500 meters long at an altitude of 200 meters from the water level of the Tarn River;

The second option included a lower and shorter bridge across the river, but with the construction of a tunnel on the border of the Larzac plateau.

After extensive research and local consultation, the "low" option was abandoned, partly because the tunnels would have passed through groundwater and also because of the high cost of the project. The first option turned out to be cheaper, with better travel conditions and safety for users.

On October 29, 1991, an unequivocal decision was made to build a long cable-stayed bridge according to the first of two proposed options.

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Decision-making

The chosen route required construction viaduct 2500 m long. From 1991 to 1993, the Ouvrages d'art division of Setra, headed by Michel Virlogeux, carried out preliminary studies on the feasibility of this project. Taking into account technical, architectural and financial questions, the roads department attracts a large number of architectural bureaus and architects to expand the search for possible solutions. In July 1993, 17 architectural firms and 38 independent architects provided their solutions for the project. With the assistance of an interdisciplinary committee, eight consultants were selected for the technical studies and seven architects for the architectural studies.

In February 1994, a group of experts chaired by Jean-François Coste, based on proposals from architects and consultants, identified a circle of five possible directions for implementing the project.

15 July 1996, Bernard Pons, minister public works, approved the proposal of a jury consisting of elected officials, artists and experts, and it was decided to build a cable-stayed bridge in the form in which it now appears Millau Viaduct .

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Construction financing

Construction of the Millau Viaduct (Viaduc de Millau) also caused financial difficulties. The state was not ready to invest two billion francs (320 million euros). Thus, it was decided to abandon the idea of ​​a completely free highway and transfer the financing functions to a private contractor with the right to subsequently operate the bridge.

An international public tender was announced with time limits for applications until January 24, 2000. As a result, four consortia took part in the tender:

Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM), led by Eiffage, acting on behalf of Eiffage Construction et Eiffel;

A group of companies led by the Spanish Dragados, with the participation of Skanska (Sweden) and Bec (France);

Group of companies Société du viaduc de Millau, with the participation of the French companies ASF, Egis, GTM, Bouygues Travaux Publics, SGE, CDC Projets, Tofinso and the Italian company Autostrade;

Group of companies Générale Routière with the participation of the French company Via GTI and the Spanish Cintra, Nesco, Acciona and Ferrovail Agroman.

As a result of the tender, the proposal of the Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM) consortium was recognized as the best. The law of November 5, 2001 formalized the results of the public tender with the issuance of a concession to the developer for the use of the highway with the signing of a concession agreement between the state and the company Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM).

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Concession terms

Duration of the concession granted to the Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau (CEVM) consortium for the operation Millau Viaduct ends on December 31, 2079. It should be noted that the term of the concession agreement (78 years) was exceptionally long compared to conventional highway concessions due to the need to balance the financial outcome of the operation. One of the reasons for this is also the fact that it was impossible to foresee all the risks associated with construction Millau Viaduct for such a long period of time that it could lead to negative results for the developer's profitability.

With regard to the risk of excessive profitability of the developer, the parties provided for early termination of the concession. Article 36 of the agreement provides that the State may require the termination of the concession without any compensation, subject to 24 months' notice, provided that the gross actual turnover, discounted at the end of 2000 at a rate of 8%, exceeds three hundred seventy-five million euros. This clause of the agreement can only be applied from January 1, 2045.

Despite the fact that the concession agreement is valid for 78 years, the developer had to develop and build Millau Viaduct for 120-year design operation. The design life of a bridge is the time during which the Millau Viaduct can be used for its intended purpose, with planned maintenance and repairs, but without the need for major repairs.

The history of the Millau Viaduct. Construction and design

It consists of an eight-span steel roadbed supported by seven steel columns. The roadway weighs 36,000 tons, is 2,460 meters long, 32 meters wide and 4.2 meters deep. Each of the six central spans is 342 meters long, the two outer ones are 204 meters long. The road has a slight gradient of 3%, descending from south to north, and a curvature of 20 kilometers in radius to give drivers best review upon entry to Millau viaduct.

To prevent deformation of metal trusses - the basis of the roadway of the Millau Viaduct as a result of traffic road transport, the Appia research team has developed a special asphalt concrete mixture using mineral resins. When laid, such a mixture easily adapts to the deformation of the base, does not crack, while having a sufficient level of wear resistance required for use on roads.

Traffic is carried out in two lanes in each direction. The height of the columns varies from 77 to 244.96 meters, the diameter of the longest column is 24.5 meters at the base and 11 meters at the road surface.

Each support consists of 16 sections, each section weighs 2230 tons. The sections were assembled on site from parts weighing 60 tons, 4 meters wide and 17 meters long. Each of the pillars supports pylons 97 meters high.

Under construction Millau Viaduct First, the columns were assembled, along with temporary supports, then parts of the canvas were pulled out through the supports using satellite-controlled hydraulic jacks by 600 millimeters every 4 minutes.

The Council of the Midi-Pyrénées region has recognized the Millau Viaduct as one of the 18 great sites of the Midi-Pyrenees region for their cultural, technical and industrial heritage and tourism potential.

On which it is equipped highway. This incredible structure has its own unique features that attract tourists. Find out more about the dimensions of this building, as well as other useful information, you can from this article.

Reasons for construction

The Millau Viaduct connects the French capital Paris and small town Bezier. Even at the time of the creation of the project, many were surprised at why such an incredible structure would be built that would allow access to this small settlement. The reason lies in the fact that Beziers has a huge amount of educational institutions, elite schools, colleges and the like.

People come here from Paris every day, and therefore create good road was extremely necessary. The city of Beziers is also noteworthy for tourists who want to enjoy swimming in the Mediterranean Sea during the hot season. Only twelve kilometers will have to travel from this settlement to the coastal zone. That is why Beziers, despite its size, is an extremely popular place.

Second target and surrounding area

Traveling to Béziers is not the only reason for the construction of the Millau Viaduct. The main problem was the transport interchange that leads to the south of the country. National highway number nine could not cope with the load and was often subject to incredible traffic jams. People could wait for hours to move on. This did not suit the tourists, who wasted time. They could spend it on sightseeing in France.

Along with them, ordinary workers on trucks were forced to stand in traffic jams, which negatively affected their schedule. That is why the decision was made to build a viaduct called Millau, which is one of the types of bridges.

Today this building attracts not only tourists, but also photographers from all over the world. Incredible surrounding views of the Tar River valley allow you to choose the most beautiful angles. People all over the world happily buy such images to decorate their workplaces. The most pleasant picture for tourists is the moment when clouds gather under the bridge. They cover the supports, and it seems as if the bridge is floating in the air.

Information about the bridge and its construction

Famous masters of their craft were involved in the construction of the Millau Viaduct. The first was the Frenchman Michel Virlojo, an engineer by profession. He has already made a name for himself thanks to many projects, including the Pont de Normandie, an equally impressive structure.

He was joined by the architect from England Norman Foster, winner of many awards for his work. When all the issues were clarified and contracts between the government and the design company were concluded, active work began. Already in mid-December 2004, the most high bridge In the world, the Millau Viaduct was opened and fully ready for use. Its width is 32 meters and its length is 2.5 kilometers.

Until now, this building is one of the industrial wonders of the world, which attracts a huge number of tourists. This is a great merit of the world-famous architect Norman Foster for his revolutionary solutions. It was he who rebuilt the Reichstag in Berlin almost from scratch in the form in which it was before its destruction. In this way he restored one of the symbols of Germany.

Data about the design company: difficulties in work

In addition to Norman Foster and Michel Virlogeau, the merits of the design company Eiffage in the construction of the Millau Viaduct should be noted. Its size is truly impressive, but it couldn’t be otherwise when real masters get down to business. The name of this organization has already thundered throughout the world thanks to the construction of the Eiffel Tower. This calling card of France gave the company an excellent reputation. This became possible thanks to the efforts of Eiffel and his design school.

It took exactly three years to bring Milhaud’s project to life, which were far from the easiest. In the process of work, craftsmen repeatedly encountered various problems. In describing the design of the Millau Viaduct, it should be mentioned that the supports had to be developed separately due to the landscape where they were to be installed.

Under the bridge there is a gorge that separates two plateaus. When constructing the viaduct, it was necessary to calculate the load in individual places and create unequal supports. One of them is as much as 25 meters thick at the base and tapers significantly at the transport roadway.

Delivery of materials

The length of the Millau Viaduct is 2.5 kilometers and the width is 32 meters, which has already been said before. It has an eight-lane road surface, which weighs a total of 36 thousand tons. With a three-degree slope and a 20 km radius of curvature, drivers have excellent visibility when traveling across the bridge.

To ensure complete safety with such parameters, it was necessary not only to design each support separately, but also to extremely accurately calculate the diameter and load resistance in each section. It was precisely because of its enormous size that during the construction of the bridge we encountered another difficulty - the delivery of materials.

The main support of the viaduct has sixteen sections, each weighing 2.3 tons. Vehicle, which could deliver such materials to this area simply does not exist. That is why they were divided into parts of 60 tons and each was delivered separately. If you imagine that seven supports with a minimum height of 77 meters were divided into parts, it is difficult to even imagine how much time was spent on delivery. Don’t forget about the pylons, which are 97 meters high, as well as 11 pairs of cables.

Route

The A75 highway is currently actively used by residents of the capital and other people. It passes through this viaduct, and therefore deserves special attention. Its construction began back in 1975, but it was completed only after the appearance of the tallest bridge in the world. The A75 is considered a complement to the A71, which leads from Orléans to the city of Clermont-Ferrand.

First of all, its task was to redirect part of the traffic flow from the Rhone River valley. As mentioned above, tourists and trucks were often stuck in traffic jams here, and therefore the creation of an alternative route was extremely necessary.

If you take the A75 highway, you can get to the south of France quickly, since the road to the region is the most economical. The 340-kilometer-long route is completely free to use. The second important task was to connect Northern Europe with the Paris region and simplifying travel to Mediterranean coast and Spain as well.

Records

The legendary viaduct simply could not help but get into the Guinness Book of Records. The design set three world standards at once, the first of which is the highest placement of the roadway. The most high point above the ground - 270 meters, and this is considered a record.

There are two more bridges that could claim this title. The first one is located in Colorado, USA, and is called Royal Gorge Bridge. The second can be seen in China, where it connects to the banks of a river called Siduhe. The structure in the USA is located at an altitude of 321 meters, but there is a catch in the types of bridges. It is intended for pedestrians, and the structure in China is located on a plateau, and the height of the supports there is much lower.

Another record belongs to the height of the support together with the pylon. The figure of 343 meters exceeds even the Eiffel Tower, which already speaks of the status of this viaduct.

The third record belongs to supports P2 and P3, which are the highest in the world - 244.96 and 222.05 meters, respectively. These facts alone are enough to visit this viaduct.

Criticism during construction

It is worth noting that during the development of the Millau Viaduct project, there was sharp criticism from the public. In France, the possibility of building something truly legendary is often questioned. This was the case with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as well as with the famous Sacré-Coeur basilica.

Opponents of the construction spoke publicly and said that the bridge would be unsafe. They cited possible shifts at the bottom of the gorge as arguments. The second argument was that the expenditure of resources would never pay for itself. At the same time, the presence of a detour could negatively affect the tourism industry in the city of Millau.

They even said that it was simply illogical to use such technologies on the A75 highway. Only the individuals responsible for the construction were ready for this, and they gave their explanations to a huge number of negative concerns. The wave of protests did not stop even after this, and for three years activists continued to insist on their position.

A win-win solution for everyone

The Millau Viaduct (France) was built in three years, and 400 million euros were spent on it, which is already an incredible amount. There is a toll to cross this bridge, as it was erected at the expense of the design company mentioned above.

If over 78 years of operation they can earn 375 million euros from it, then the viaduct will become the property of the state free of charge. If this does not happen, then the government will have to compensate for all losses. During the season, additional lanes are even opened at the toll point so that 16 cars can drive through this wonderful structure at the same time.

Forecasts indicate that the Eiffage design company will not be able to recover costs. Only this won’t put a big dent in their budget, and the viaduct is a confirmation of their capabilities. That is why money is not too important here.

Millau Viaduct - Viaduc de Millau the world's highest bridge. Its largest bridge pier is 343 meters high. Weight 36,000 tons, and seven steel pylons each 700 tons. Length of the viaduct 2,460 m. Two supports reach the highest height on the planet (P2 = 245 m and P3 = 221 m)

It crosses the Tarn valley at an altitude of about 270 m above the ground. The 32 m wide roadway is four-lane (two lanes in each direction) and has two reserve lanes. stands on 7 supports, each of which is topped with pylons 87 m high (11 pairs of cables are attached to them).

The 20 km radius of curvature allows cars to follow a more precise path than if it were a straight line, and gives the viaduct the illusion of never ending.

Concrete structures secure the road surface to the ground at the Larzac Plateau and the Red Plateau; they are called abutments.

Characteristics of the Millau Viaduct - Viaduc de Millau

Scheme of the cable-stayed bridge of the Millau Viaduct (Millau) - Viaduc de Millau

Construction stages of the Millau Viaduct

1st stage. Construction of intermediate supports

The supports have a complex geometry, tapering towards the top with vertical slits to create shadows.

Support of the Millau Viaduct - website

The supports were constructed using vertical self-climbing formwork. 16 thousand tons of reinforcement went into the construction of the Millau Viaduct. Overall height there are more than a kilometer of supports.
The sections for concreting are equal in height to 4 m. The shape of the formwork had to be changed more than 250 times.

Support of the Millau Viaduct - website

The length of all reinforcing bars is exactly 4000 km, this is the distance from the viaduct to central africa. If an error is made by 10 cm during concreting, the support will not converge by 10 cm. GPS navigation was used in the construction of the supports, the measurement error is 4 mm, the error in the construction of the support in plan is 2 cm.

A day of delay in the construction of the Millau Viaduct costs the contractor 30 thousand dollars. The numbering of the 7 pillars starts from the north of the valley.

200 thousand tons of concrete for the construction of a viaduct.

2nd stage of construction. Longitudinal slide

Longitudinal sliding of a span weighing 36 thousand tons onto the Tarn River at an altitude of 270 m. The span of the Millau Viaduct was designed from steel with a total length of 2.5 km. The company that manufactured the span was the Eifel company.

The company produced 2,200 span blocks weighing up to 90 tons, some reaching 22 meters in length. Precision in manufacturing was achieved using a laser. Metal cutting was fully automated using a plasma cutter; every part with complex geometry was cut without problems. The temperature of the cutter reached 28 thousand degrees Celsius.

The sliding was carried out on both sides, and the connections should be made over the Tarn River. For the longitudinal sliding of the viaduct, they used a receiving console for running over temporary supports and permanent supports and a pylon for additional rigidity of the span.