Nature offers us many wonders, but the truth is that man also creates his own and, as inventor and builder as it is, the world is full of modern wonders, works of civil Engineering that impress. For example, him Millau Viaduct.
This construction it is in France and it is for many a masterpiece of civil engineering. Its about tallest road bridge in the world And if you are in the area at some point, how about knowing it?
Millau Viaduct
It is a viaduct whose works started in 2001 and it was calculated that they would last for three years, but in the end they lasted less because the climatic inconveniences that, a priori, could have complicated them did not abound.
When considering the best way to cross 2460 meters and pass the Tarn Valley, there were four options that were put on the work table, but finally the idea of building a viaduct above the Tarn was chosen. Thirteen years of design, almost three years of construction and voila!
The viaduct is a work that brings together concrete, steel and hydraulic technology. Once the decision was made that the bridge would be high, three different companies put to work to solve the problem and carry out the design signed by Michel Virlogeux and Norman Foster.
Finally, in the construction of the viaduct, 19 thousand tons of steel, 1127 thousand cubic meters of concrete and 5 thousand tons of prestressed concrete ended up being used. Amen to the shrouds, those huge cables that are the backbone of the bridge. Thus, it is estimated that the useful life of the work will be 120 years before having to be repaired.
What are the technical aspects of this marvel of European civil engineering? Well the viaduct has seven pillars, the lowest of which is 70 meters and the highest 245, an average height of the highway of 270 meters and a total length of 2460 meters. At the beginning of this year the price of the toll for crossing it was 9, 80 euros.
The seven pillars support the entire deck and have different heights as the layout is over a valley. Its construction was basically the key to the project and for that it had the help of special cranes, K / 50C portain tower, whose drivers entered their cabin at 7 in the morning and left / got off it at 7 in the late.
But where is the blessed Millau Viaduct? Well the bridge is part of the A75 motorway, Also called La Meridian. It connects the southeast of France with the north going from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers, on the Mediterranean. The road is 340 kilometers without toll, except at the viaduct whose crossing allows you to jump the huge valley of the river Tarn.
Visit the Millau Viaduct
The numbers indicate that every year half a million people visit the viaduct and it is a work that allows joining the Mediterranean area with Paris. Many do the walk or crossing by car but you can also visit the Millau Viaduct Interpretation Center with photos, audiovisual material and other information on the construction of the bridge.
If you are specifically interested in this part then you can go to the Millau rest area which is where the Center is. You take exit 45 of the A75 motorway, no matter the direction. It is an area where you can eat and rest and of course, learn about the work. Since last year, 2017, there is a fairly large exhibition, 220 square meters thought to be a fairly interactive experience.
The good news is that this exhibition is free and open all year round. Even there is a guided tour, but you can always go on your own. Write down the schedules:
- from April 1 to May 31, from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm
- from June 1 to September 3, from 9 am to 7:30 pm
- from September 4 to November 5, from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm
- from November 6 to December 31, from 10 am to 5 pm.
The guided tour lasts half an hour And if you want to take it, you just have to go to the meeting point about 10 minutes before the start of the visit. Schedules? 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 am; 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 pm. However, if you like to plan everything you can make the reservation online at viaduc.info@eiffage.com. Guided tours have a price, per adult costs 4 euros and children pay 2, 50 euros nothing more. Cash or credit card.
The guided tour is in French, but there are audio guides in Spanish and other languages (Italian, German, Dutch). Also there are group guided tours They last 50 minutes and cost 110 euros for groups of between 5 and 30 people or 160 for groups of 31 to 60 people.
Part of the visit is to walk a path called Path of the Explorers, a dirt track that was used by the workers where today there are some life-size work models that allow to show how the viaduct was built and with what machinery. From there the route continues to a gazebo from which you have great views of the viaduct in all its splendor.
And since you are in the area you can also visit the surroundings, which are really green and beautiful. The thing is the viaduct is in the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park, World Heritage according to UNESCO, the land of Canyon of the tarn, of the beautiful Millau town, the city of leather and gloves, Roquefort cheese, and the department of Averyron, where the Camino de Santiago passes and which has a Templar legacy and medieval heritage of all kinds, and which also, thanks to the viaduct, has become a more touristy place.