It is not known who and when was the first to throw a log across the river in order to cross to the other side. But from that moment on, mankind began to gradually approach the construction modern bridges with advanced technologies. The invention of the canopy can be called one of the cornerstones of historical progress. Bridges not only unite the shores - they connect the destinies of people, they allow you to admire the beauties of nature from an unusual angle. Often they themselves become an object of interest and admiration due to their venerable age, beauty of architecture or unique parameters. One of the categories characterizing bridges is their height. And thanks to progress, the list of the highest bridges in the world is gradually increasing. We will consider them in the article.

The active development of bridge building in China has led to the fact that a large number of bridges-record holders is located in this country. At the end of 2016, they were joined by the Beipanjiang Bridge, thrown across the river of the same name and uniting the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Zhejiang. The title of the highest suspension bridge in the world has already been assigned to this object - the highest point is at the 565-meter mark or at the level of the 200th floor of a skyscraper. In addition, he is considered one of the pioneers of buildings of this type in the Asian mountainous regions.

The Beipanjiang Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension structure. It rests on two pylons in the form of the letter "H" with opposite sides river gorge. The reliability of the construction, in addition to steel cables, is provided by a stiffening beam under the main span. The construction of the 4-lane bridge, which is part of the highway, took 3 years and required an investment of $150 million.

Millau (France)

In the list of the highest bridges in the world, the Millau Viaduct over the Tarn River Valley ranks far from last place. This building is considered one of the signs of France - the cable-stayed bridge is part of the route connecting the capital and the town of Beziers, in which many elite educational institutions. Therefore, fast communication between the two cities is especially important. If we take the total height with pylons, then the viaduct (343 m) is slightly lower (by 40 m) than the Empire State Building, but exceeds the "height" eiffel tower(at 37 m). A 4-lane roadbed floats over the valley at an altitude of 270 meters.

Millau Viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, was put into operation at the end of 2004. Design work were carried out for 10 years, and construction was delayed for 3 years due to strong winds and complex terrain. Design workshops participated in the construction, designing at one time and main character Paris. The metal roadbed was installed on the supports using the extension method from opposite sides, giving commands via satellite.

Quite often, a thick fog envelops the river valley - and then the bridge floats among the clouds. But the viaduct looks especially impressive at night. Illuminated 7 pylons with red lights at the top and wings of stretched cables look like alien ships at the start. And the light from 7 pillars, "walking" through the valley, turns it into mysterious world.

Russian bridge (Russia)

Among the highest bridges in the world, a worthy place is given to the Russian. It is only slightly inferior to the French Millau in terms of the height of its two pylons. The height of the Russian bridge is 321 meters (against 343 French meters). The name of the relatively young (2012) bridge was given by Fr. Russian, which thanks to this object received road communication with the coastal part of Vladivostok.

The construction of a bridge across the strait was brewing throughout the 20th century. But the engineering projects of 1939 and 1960 did not meet the set technical tasks. In 2008, in preparation for the APEC summit, the most advanced plan at that time was designed, which was put into practice in 2012. The bridge as a developing transport system Vladivostok link instantly became a symbol of the capital of Primorye - it is called one of the wonders of the Far East.

The uniqueness of the Russian Bridge lies in its three-kilometer length and the length of the central span, which at a height of 70 m from the water extends for 1104 meters - according to this indicator, it is the first in the world among bridges. latest methods: continuous concreting and use

The bridge is designed for car traffic(4 lanes) - pedestrians are strictly prohibited from passing through the structure. The beauty and significance of the Russian Bridge is confirmed by its image on the new 2000 banknotes of Russia.

Sutun. Pride of China

The Sutong cable-stayed bridge from the numerous cohort of the highest bridges in China has been in operation since the middle of 2008. This cable-stayed giant in terms of its parameters in the list of the highest bridges in the world immediately follows the Russian giant - each of its two pylons reaches 306 m in height, and the central span lacks 16 m to the span of the Russian bridge.

The task of the builders of the bridge was to connect two cities from different districts of China with each other, which they successfully coped with. The cable-stayed Sutong Bridge (China) enters the delta of the river in a smooth arc. Yangtze and extends 8206 m above its main fairway. The roadbed is raised 62 m above the water for the unhindered passage of ships and container ships. The bridge has become a landmark in China, it plays important role in fast economic growth districts in south current R. Yangtze, where cities such as Shanghai are located.

Sutong is the engineering and economic pride of the Celestial Empire, since the design and financing of the giant structure took place on their own states without international assistance.

Bridge in Japan

An engineering marvel of Japanese bridge builders is the Akashi-Kaike suspension bridge, or Pearl. It is a connecting link between the islands of Honshu and Awaji. At the time of its opening (1998), it was considered the highest bridge in the world, since its two pylons rose 282.8 m above the waters of the Akashi Strait. Later, more impressive structures were built, but the scale and uniqueness of Akashi-Kaikyo did not suffer from this.

The Japanese giant is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the suspension bridge, the longest in the world (3911 m) - it is equal to approximately 4 Brooklyn bridges. The length of its central span is also phenomenal - 1991 m. Near the bridge there is a museum that tells about its construction.

The longest Zhemchuzhny Bridge was made by an earthquake that occurred during construction and moved one of the pylons away from the project site by 1 m. But otherwise it is an extremely stable object: it is not dangerous tremors up to 8.5 points, it withstands the strongest currents of the strait and wind speeds up to 80 m/s. The service life of Zhemchuzhny is designed for 200 years, and in the future it can become both a road and rail crossing.

But the bridge has a significant drawback - the passage through it is expensive, so most residents use the ferry or public transport.

highest railway bridge

The highest, like many automobile bridges, which for some time held the title of the highest in the world, is located in China. This facility connects the slopes of the famous Beipanjiang Canyon in the southwestern province of Guizhou in the vicinity of the city of Lupanshui. The bridge belongs to the arch type structures with one span and a passage along the upper part. The highest point of the building is at 275 meters. The railway bridge has been operating since 2001.

Transport facilities

The list of the highest transport bridges in the world is constantly changing. But currently it looks like this:

• Beipanjiang Road Bridge (China) - 565 m.
• Automobile viaduct Millau (France) - 343 m.
• Automobile Russian Bridge (Russia) - 321 m.
• Sutong Road Bridge (China) - 306 m.
• Automobile Pearl Bridge (Japan) - 282.8 m, in the future - and railway.
• Beipanjiang Canyon Railway Bridge (China) - 275 meters.

Pedestrian bridges of the world

The Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge is for pedestrians only. This is one of the highest pedestrian bridges in Japan - its structures reach a height of 173 meters. The object is located in the city of Kokonoe. At the same time, 1,800 vacationers can walk along the bridge, admiring the Kyushu Valley, Sindu Falls, or simply pictures of nature under their feet through the gratings of the central span. An unusual pedestrian bridge on the island bears the name of the Sky Bridge for its location at an altitude of 700 meters and magnificent views from it. The entire arc-shaped structure seems to be floating in the air, leaning on the only support - a column of 82 meters. This bridge is not the highest, it is only located at an unprecedented level. But he owns another record - he is the longest in the world among the curved suspension bridges (125 m).

The tallest pedestrian bridge is a glass structure in China. It opened for visitors in 2016 and is located in Zhangjiajie Forest Park. The height of its structures is 300 m, and the bridge itself is thrown from cliff to cliff at a height of 260 meters. Complex technical system consists of a steel frame and glass panels in the amount of 120 pieces. The structure can support the weight of 800 people walking on it at one time.

Bridges always attract the attention of a person with their technical specifications or special appearance. They fascinate with the opportunity to admire the landscapes from unusual vantage points. And inquisitive human mind will always create new bridge designs with the highest parameters.

12-05-2014, 18:16
Many people, going on a trip, first of all ask themselves what they will be able to see in final destination its destination. Of course, the choice of sights for sightseeing is a matter of taste - someone likes it more, and someone likes old mansions more, someone likes city panoramas, and someone likes natural landscapes. Nevertheless, there are sights that you cannot miss visiting, being close to them, they are so unusual, interesting and famous - the Statue of Liberty, the Colosseum, the Moscow Kremlin, the Eiffel Tower. Bridges are often such sights. Take, for example, the Golden Gate Bridge in American San Francisco - why did you not come to this hospitable Californian city, you will definitely visit this bridge, or at least look at it from afar. It is the bridges that you should definitely see when you are nearby, and this article is dedicated - we will talk about the highest and longest bridges in the world. So let's start with the high ones.

The highest bridges in the world

The fifth line of the ranking is occupied by Japanese bridge Akashi-Kaikyo. The construction of this extraordinary bridge lasted for ten years from 1988 to 1998. The bridge connects the islands of Honshu and Awaji, ferry crossing between which it is seriously difficult due to regular unrest at sea, which was the main reason for the creation of an outstanding bridge. The total length of the bridge is 3.91 thousand meters, and the height of the pylons is 298 meters.

In fourth place in height among the highest bridges in the world was chinese sutong bridge across the Yangtze River. This cable-stayed bridge, which connects the cities of Changsha and Nantong, has a height of 306 meters. The bridge consists of two pylons and has a total length of 8.206 thousand meters. The bridge looks especially impressive from the water. There is even an excursion dedicated to the bridge in Changsha, which includes both viewing the bridge from the river and a trip along the bridge itself.

Third place in the list of the highest bridges in the world is Russian bridge in Vladivostok, which connects Cape Novosilsky and the Nazimov Peninsula. open first On August 2012, the bridge moved the Sutong Bridge, which previously ranked second in the world in height, to the third line, since the height of its pylons is 324 meters. Wherein total length the bridge is small - about 1,886 thousand meters.

The second place in the list of the highest bridges in the world is Millau Viaduct. This French cable-stayed bridge is the last link on the Paris-Beziers A75 route. Opened in 2004, the bridge was the highest bridge in the world for five years - the height of its pillars is 343 meters, which is 20 meters higher than the main French landmark, the Eiffel Tower. The length of the bridge is 2.46 thousand meters.

In the honorable first place in the world in height is located chinese bridge over siduhe. This unusual suspension bridge, located in Hubei province, is part of the G50 high-speed highway between Shanghai and Chongqing. Max Height structures above the ground is about 496 meters. Opened in mid-November 2009, this bridge has become a popular tourist attraction.

The longest bridges in the world

So, the fifth place is located in China qingdao bridge across the Jiaozhou Bay - Crossing the northern part of the bay, the bridge connects the city of Qingdao and the industrial suburb of Huangdao. The total length of the bridge opened in 2011 is about 42.5 meters. Tourists should take note that there are many water excursions in Qingdao Bay. Alas, at the time of this writing, there is no excursion to the bridge, however, many other interesting ones are available. excursion tours on the water transport from which you can view this majestic building.

The fourth place is occupied by Thai Bang Na Highway, which, in fact, is not quite a bridge, but rather is a bridge-type structure similar to an overpass. The length of the highway located in Bangkok is about 54 thousand meters. It is noteworthy that the bridge, opened in 2000, until 2010 was the most long bridge in the world.

Third place, and China again. Railway Bridge over the Wei It is part of the Zhengzhou High-Speed ​​Railway, which connects Xi'an and Zhengzhou. The length of the open in February 2010 year is about 79.73 thousand meters. It is noteworthy that this bridge crosses the Wei River twice, as well as many other water features.

Second place is Tianjin Viaduct. Like the previous bridge, it is part of a high-speed railway line. It is part of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway and the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed ​​Railway. The length of the bridge is 113.7 thousand meters. The bridge was opened to train traffic in 2011.

First place - longest bridge in the world. Surprisingly, the first line of the rating went to the Chinese bridge - opened in 2011 Danyang-Kunshan Viaduct, like the previous bridge of the list, is part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The bridge, whose length is a record 164.8 thousand meters, connects Shanghai and Nanjing. In addition to the railway lines, the bridge also accommodates several traffic lanes. road transport. Of course, given this length, we are not talking about any excursions along this bridge, and it will not be possible to choose the most suitable viewpoint either. But you can ride on the bridge - on great speed and with comfort.

Of course, this list does not include all the grandiose bridges of the world, especially since new records are set in this area almost every year. But all the bridges presented in our rating deserve to be looked at, even if they cease to be the highest and longest, giving way to newer, even higher and longer bridges.

Video about the largest bridges in the world

There are a large number of buildings in the world that amaze with their scale, originality and beauty. Especially when the erected structure seems to be floating in the air, it enchants every person who happens to see it. With such an incredible spectacle, you experience indescribable delight and surprise!

Viaduct Millau (fr. le Viaduc de Millau) - 335 meters

Viaduct Millau (fr. le Viaduc de Millau) - 335 meters

One of these unique creations is the Millau Viaduct, the highest bridge in the world.

It is located in France and rises above the Tarn River. Its pier and mast rise above ground level at a height of 335 meters. It is the tallest bridge structure in the world. The total length is 2460 m, the carriageway over the river is 277 m.

But despite the fact that this is the highest bridge in Europe, in terms of its massive structure it occupies only 13th place in the world. project approved with 8-way cabling scheme. Then, multiple testing and design took place for 2 years, and in October 2001, its construction began, which lasted for 3 years - this is an exceptionally short time for such a grandiose and complex undertaking.

The construction was erected not only by workers from France, but also from Italy, Spain and Sweden.
The construction itself was unique, as it contained a difficult task, because it was carried out simultaneously from two sides.

On the north and south sides of the bridge flat surface land, a deck was built in two large sections. Then, with the help of hydraulic grippers, the entire deck was moved synchronously along the valley in small increments, about 600 m. In the end, the parties met over the Tarn River to this method successfully worked, temporary intermediate piers were built, this helped to prevent bending of the thin deck, since the main intermediate masts were not installed until almost the very end of all the main actions.

Notably, the bridge's pavement has a slight curve, which adds a third dimension to its shape. main structure which compensates for boring repetition. A high wind barrier is installed along the edges of the coast, which has a stylish aerodynamic shape, and allows you to still see the valley beyond.

Millau Viaduct, as a perfect combination of art, architecture and technology, will always inspire not only modern engineers, but also future ones. After all, it really is the embodiment of beauty and grace within the framework of functionality and cost. 400 million euros were spent on its construction.

Duge Bridge Duge Bridge- the highest cable bridge on the planet.

Since 2016, it has been named the tallest bridge in the world.
The road deck is located at an altitude of 565 m. over the Beipan River, the bridge crosses the river on the border between Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. It is part of the Hangzhou-Ruili Expressway. The eastern tower is 269 m, which makes it one of the highest in the world.

The road surface of the Duge Bridge extends 1km and 340m between Xuanwei City in Yunnan Province and Shuicheng County in Guizhou Province. This helped cut travel between the two locations from over four hours to one hour.

Construction began in 2011, and was completed on September 10, 2016. Already on December 29, the bridge was opened for the passage of all cars and trucks, which made it easy to get to previously hard-to-reach places.
Completion ambitious project means that eight of the ten tallest bridges in the world are located in China. Almost all of them are located in remote Chinese provinces.

The tallest glass bridge in the world Zhangjiajie park, central China's Hunan province.

AT national park Zhangjiajie is an amazing pedestrian bridge, its length is 430 m, width is 6 m, and height is 300 m. The construction cost $3.4 million. The floor of the bridge consists of 99 translucent plates, the material of which is three-layer glass.

An Israeli architect, Chaim Dotan, led its grandiose construction. The opening took place on August 20, 2016. Before that, testing took place, which included several stages - a reliability test (they hit the glass plates with a sledgehammer, and then drove a car with passengers), buildup in the wind and exposure to changes in ambient temperature.

But a limited number of people can enter the glass canvas, no more than eight hundred at a time, and only eight thousand per day, such conditions were put forward by the park management.
The highest bridge in China is very popular, the walk on it is breathtaking, and the photos are unique, which is why this is a favorite place for all newlyweds.

In 2007, the highest screw bridge in Europe was built, which is located in the capital of Russia. Its height is 100 meters, it crosses the Moscow River not along, as usual, but across. Therefore, the length is almost one and a half kilometers, which makes the structure the longest in the entire metropolis. This design gives it even more originality.

The bridge has two levels, the first for cars and the second for the subway.
It has a lot of exceptional highlights - an extraordinary arrangement and fastening of the cables, in the high point there is a round observation deck where visitors come to dine in a restaurant and look at the beauty of the evening city.

You can go up there on special elevators, their structure was developed in design office Baikonur Cosmodrome. At each site there are shields to reduce the level of gas pollution from engine exhausts and reduce the noise level.

It is planned to build a glass ellipsoid, which will house the Wedding Palace, many young people are looking forward to this event in order to sign up for marriage registration there.

From the side, the building attracts with its picturesque and exclusivity the views of millions of people. local residents and travelers, because its arched pylon is painted in the brightest red color, it is impossible not to pay attention to it.

The highest in Russia - the bridge in Sochi

In the Lazarevsky district (near the village of Zubova Shchel) of the city of Sochi, there is the highest bridge in Russia. It extends to federal highway"Dzhubga - Sochi", helps to pass over the tract Zubova Shchel without complications. In the extreme point pavement, the height of the supports is 80 meters, and the total length is 576 meters.

Passage along it was opened back in 1999, after which all motorists had the opportunity to safely and quickly travel along the mountain winding serpentine.
It attracts great interest from tourists, but the entrance to the bridge for pedestrians is very limited, and being under guard, it is strictly forbidden to exit and cross the roadway, as it is very dangerous. The track was already closed for reconstruction, many sections required additional repairs.

The highest in Russia - the bridge in Sochi

The bridge impresses with its splendor and beauty; from its level, extraordinary panoramic views of the gorge itself and an impressive stretch of the Black Sea coast appear before your eyes.

The beauty and grandeur of all the above structures stun ordinary observers with their originality, each of them is unique, and there is not a single analogue with which to compare. They connect distant areas with each other and help to easily get to the desired territory. The work of architects and builders deserves admiration and great respect.

One of the main wonders of the industrial world of France can be safely attributed to the world-famous Millau Bridge, which is the owner of several records at once. Thanks to this giant bridge, stretching over a huge valley of the river called Tar, uninterrupted and high-speed movement from Paris to the small town of Béziers is ensured.

Many tourists who come to see this highest bridge in the world quite often ask themselves: “Why was it necessary to build such an expensive and technically complex bridge that leads from Paris to the very small town of Beziers? The thing is that it is in Beziers that great amount educational institutions, elite private schools and a retraining center for highly qualified specialists.

A huge number of Parisians, as well as residents from other countries, enter these schools and colleges to study. major cities France, who are attracted by the elitism of education in Beziers. In addition, the town of Beziers is located just 12 kilometers from the picturesque coast of the warm mediterranean sea which, of course, in turn, also attracts tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world every year.

Pont Millau, which can rightly be considered the pinnacle of engineering and architects, is popular among travelers as one of the most interesting sights in France. Firstly, it offers a magnificent view of the Thar Valley, and secondly, it is one of the favorite objects for modern photographers. Photos of the Millau Bridge, which is almost two and a half kilometers long and 32 meters wide, made by the best and most reputable photographers, adorn numerous office buildings and hotels not only in France, but throughout the Old World.

The bridge is a particularly fantastic sight when clouds gather under it: at this moment it seems as if the viaduct is suspended in the air and does not have a single support under it. The height of the bridge above the ground at its highest point is just over 270 meters. The Millau Viaduct was built for the sole purpose of unloading the national route number 9, which constantly formed huge traffic jams during the season, and tourists traveling in France, as well as drivers trucks, were forced to stand idle for hours in traffic jams.

As mentioned above, the bridge, which is part of the A75 highway, connects Paris and the city of Beziers, but it is quite often used by motorists who travel to the country's capital from Spain and southern France. It is worth noting that the passage through the viaduct, which "soars above the clouds", is paid, which does not affect its popularity among drivers. Vehicle and guests of the country who came to see one of the most amazing wonders industrial world.

The legendary Millau Viaduct, which every self-respecting bridge builder knows about and is considered a model of technological progress for all mankind, was designed by Michel Virlajo and brilliant architect Norman Foster. For those who are not familiar with the work of Norman Foster, it should be clarified that this talented English engineer, made by the Queen of Great Britain to the knights and barons, not only recreated, but also introduced a number of new unique solutions to the Berlin Reichstag. It is thanks to his painstaking work, precisely verified calculations, in Germany in literally the main symbol of the country was revived from the ashes. Naturally, the talent of Norman Foster made the Millau Viaduct one of the modern wonders of the world.

In addition to the architect from the UK, a group called Eiffage, which includes the famous Eiffel workshop, which designed and built one of the main attractions of Paris, took part in the creation of the highest transport artery in the world. By and large, the talent of Eiffel and the staff from his bureau raised not only " business card» Paris, but throughout France. In tandem, the Eiffage group, Norman Foster and Michel Virlajo designed the Pont Millau, which was inaugurated on December 14, 2004.

Already 2 days after the festive event, the first cars drove along the final link of the A75 highway. An interesting fact is that the first stone in the construction of the viaduct was laid on December 14, only in 2001, and the start of large-scale construction started on December 16, 2001. Apparently, the builders planned to coincide with the opening date of the bridge to the date of the start of its construction.

Despite the group best architects and engineers to build the highest road bridge in the world was extremely difficult. By and large, there are two more bridges on our planet that are located above Millau above the earth's surface: the Royal Gorge Bridge in the USA in Colorado (321 meters above the ground) and the Chinese bridge connecting the two banks of the Siduhe River.

True, in the first case we are talking about a bridge that only pedestrians can cross, and in the second, about a viaduct, the supports of which are located on a plateau and their height is not able to compare with the supports and pylons of Millau. It is for these reasons that the French Millau Bridge is considered the most difficult in constructive solution and the highest road bridge in the world.

Some of the pillars of the A75 terminal link are located at the bottom of the gorge that separates the "red plateau" and the Lazarka plateau. To make the bridge completely safe, French engineers had to develop each support individually: almost all of them have different diameters and are clearly designed for a certain load. The width of the largest support of the bridge reaches almost 25 meters at its base. True, in the place where the support is connected to the roadway, its diameter narrows noticeably.

Workers and architects who developed the project, during construction works I had to face a lot of difficulties. Firstly, it was necessary to strengthen the places in the gorge where the supports were located, and secondly, quite a lot of time had to be spent on transporting individual parts of the canvas, its supports and pylons. One has only to imagine that the main support of the bridge consists of 16 sections, the weight of each of them is 2,300 tons. Looking ahead a little, I would like to note that this is one of the records that belongs to the Millau Bridge.

Naturally, vehicles that could deliver such massive parts of the pillars of the Millau Bridge do not yet exist in the world. For this reason, the architects decided to deliver parts of the supports in parts (if I may say so of course). Each piece weighed about 60 tons. It is quite difficult to even imagine how long it took the builders to deliver only 7 supports to the bridge construction site, and this is not counting the fact that each support has a pylon a little over 87 meters high, to which 11 pairs of high-strength guys are attached.

However, the delivery of building materials to the site is not the only difficulty that the engineers faced. The thing is that the valley of the Tar River has always been distinguished by a harsh climate: heat, quickly replaced by piercing cold, sharp gusts of wind, steep cliffs - only a small part of what the builders of the majestic French viaduct had to overcome. There is official evidence that the development of the project and numerous studies lasted just over 10 years.

The pavement of the Millau Bridge, like its project itself, is unique, in order to avoid the deformation of expensive metal sheets, which will be quite difficult to repair in the future, scientists had to invent an ultra-modern asphalt concrete formula. The metal sheets are quite strong, but their weight, relative to the entire gigantic structure, can be called insignificant (“only” 36,000 tons).

The coating had to protect the canvases from deformation (be "soft") and at the same time meet all the requirements of European standards (resist deformation, be used for a long time without repair and prevent the so-called "shifts"). Even the most cutting-edge technologies can solve this problem in short time is simply impossible. During the construction of the bridge, the composition of the roadway was developed for almost three years. By the way, the asphalt concrete of the Millau Bridge is recognized as unique in its kind.

Pont Millau - harsh criticism

Despite the long development of the plan, well-defined decisions and big names architects, the construction of the viaduct was initially heavily criticized. By and large, in France, any construction is sharply criticized, remember at least the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Opponents of the construction of the viaduct said that the bridge would be unreliable due to shifts at the bottom of the gorge; will never pay off; the use of such technologies on the A75 highway is unjustified; the bypass will reduce the flow of tourists to the city of Millau.

This is only a small part of the slogans that ardent opponents of the construction of a new viaduct addressed to the government. They were listened to and each negative appeal to the public was given an authoritative explanation. In fairness, we note that the opponents, which included influential associations, did not calm down and continued their protests almost all the time the bridge was being built.

Millau Bridge - a revolutionary solution

The construction of the most famous French viaduct took, according to the most conservative estimates, no less than 400 million euros. Naturally, this money had to be returned, so the passage through the viaduct was made paid: the point where you can pay for the “trip through the miracle of modern industry” is located near the small village of Saint-Germain. More than 20 million euros were spent on its construction alone.

The toll booth features a huge covered canopy that took 53 giant beams to build. In the “season”, when the flow of cars along the viaduct increases sharply, additional lanes are used, which, by the way, are 16 at the “checkpoint”. At this point, there is also electronic system, which allows you to track the number of cars on the bridge and their tonnage. By the way, the Eiffage concession will last only 78 years, which is exactly how much time the state allocated to the group to cover its expenses.

Most likely, it will not even be possible to return all the funds spent on the construction of Eiffage. However, such unfavorable financial forecasts in the group are viewed with irony. Firstly, "Eiffage" is far from poor, and secondly, the Millau Bridge served as another proof of the genius of its specialists. By the way, the talk that the companies that built the bridge will lose money is nothing more than fiction.

Yes, the bridge was not built at the expense of the state, but after 78 years, if the bridge does not bring profit to the group, France will be obliged to pay the losses. But if “Eiffage manages to earn 375 million euros on the Millau Viaduct earlier than in 78 years, the bridge will become the property of the country free of charge. The concession period will last, as mentioned above - 78 years (until 2045), but the group of companies gave a guarantee for its majestic bridge for 120 years.

Traveling on the four-lane Millau Viaduct does not cost the "sky-high" prices, as many might think. Directions passenger car on the viaduct, the height of the main support of which is higher than the Eiffel Tower itself and only slightly lower than the Empire State Building skyscraper, it will cost only 6 euros (in the "season" 7.70 euros). But for cargo two-axle cars, the fare will be 21.30 euros; for three-axle - almost 29 euros. Even motorcyclists and people moving along the viaduct on scooters have to pay: the cost of traveling along the Millau Bridge will cost them 3 euros and 90 euro cents.

The Millau Viaduct Bridge comprises an eight-span steel roadbed supported by eight steel pillars. The weight of the roadway is 36,000 tons, width - 32 meters, length - 2460 meters, depth - 4.2 meters. The length of all six central spans is 342 meters each, and the two outer spans are 204 meters long each. Road with a slight slope - 3%, descends from south side to the north, its curvature has a radius of 20 km in order to enable drivers to have a better view. The movement of vehicles occurs in two lanes in all directions.

The height of the columns ranges from 77 to 246 meters, the diameter of one of the longest columns is 24.5 meters at the base, and eleven meters at the roadbed. Each base has sixteen sections. One section has a weight of 2,230 tons. Sections were assembled on site from separate parts. Each separate part section has a mass of sixty tons, seventeen meters in length and four meters in width. Each support must support pylons having a height of 97 meters. First, the columns were assembled, which were together with temporary supports, then parts of the canvas moved along the supports with the help of jacks. The jacks were controlled from satellites.