French engineer, British architect. The spirit of Concorde is not dead.

Millau was a ruined town due to traffic, in the summers you would spend several hours trying to get through. The buildings got grey from the exhaust gasses in that constant gridlock. But if you visit now it all changed! Best thing that could've happened for the inhabitants.

As a Dutch kid and almost always having gone to Spain for holidays we almost always drove over the Pont du Millau bridge. It was always a spectacular sight but oddly enough you dont realize it when youre actually driving across it. It is smooth, looks amazing and is a work of art. It was always a special moment to cross the bridge.

I have driven on it twice. Once during daytime. Stunning, but as people here point out, the view is blocked, it's almost a normal road view. But, the second time, I drove on it at night, and this was magical. You get the eerie feeling of being sandwiched in mid air between sky and river (even though you don't see any of it), because the sky, the perspective, everything just blends into the night. It was awesome.

Hi from Brisbane, Australia. I had the great pleasure to drive over this masterpiece in 2017 while on holidays in Europe. Had previously watched 2 documentaries on its construction and put it on the bucket list when planning my trip.

I remember when this bridge was being built. When I was a kid we drove from the Netherlands to the south of France, and we came across this construction site. It was incredible to behold, it was almost like stepping into a sciencefiction movie. We sadly never drove over the bridge when it was finished.

I am French and I have driven across this bridge only once, years ago, coming from the south. It's a great feeling knowing you're on it, but you realize how amazing it is if you stop at the big parking and rest area after it, after the road bends, it is situated where you can take a photo of the whole bridge and be in awe at the height. When you see it you go: wow.

As french we are very proud about this bridge we have so many good civil engeener is crazy you can see the tunel under the chanel the effel tower, the normandie bridge the tunel under the mont blanc, the tunel Lyon-Turin

I live in this area. I used to take the road from north to south at least 2 times a year and it was quite a trip. Passing through Millau could took 1h and now 5 min above. As I had friend living in Millau I went there quite a lot and saw the bridge being built : impressive. And yes, this is as much a marvel of engineering as it is beautiful. Cheers from France

Simon Whistler has to have the busiest voice on KZfaq. Multiple channels with him as the narrator/host with content being pumped out almost daily. Oh, and the bridge? A stunning piece of architecture.

Spent a month in this area at St. Rome du tarn in 2015 and enjoyed several rides (bicycle) along the gorge du tarn. Yes it's impressive from on top but from underneath it is absolutely massive. Greetings from Australia.

French here, been to Millau as a child. Under the bridge, there is a museum that gives more details about the construction and the story of this bridge. It's worth a visit !

Hi from Paris, France ! I'm very surprised to see how you're drifting away from F1 reaction videos (in a good way). I assume most French people have been on the Millau Viaduct on their way to the south (mainly for holidays). It is indeed pretty impressive to drive on, you can also find some viewpoints in the area from which you can take some nice photos of the viaduct 😌

Fun fact: if you were to stand at the top of Millau's tallest pier (343 meters) you would actually look down at the Eiffel Tower (330 meters)

I watched a doco on the construction of this bridge, and don't quote me, but when the two halves met the tolerance difference was only a few millimetres. This astounded me considering the length of the span, the varying height of the valley floor, and the fact that it curves.

Hi Ian, Dave in France here. I've visited this site twice and on both occasions I was just in total awe of what Man can achieve when we all pull together. It is so technically excellent, so beautiful, so inspiring. In the bottom of the main valley there is a visitors centre with pictures and videos of how the project was accomplished.

As every French I know the Millau Viaduct but I had no idea about the story and how this structure was built. Kind of cool that I learn that thanks to someone across the Atlantic :) Thanks for the video!

Because you're so high up you can literally not see the horizon from your car but only the bridge. It's like you're driving thru the sky. It's an unearthly feeling really :)

If you’re amazed by the precision of the alignment, wait until you hear that the bridge is actually slightly curved ! As far as I know, it’s meant to keep drivers focussed on the road and/or avoiding a sort of vertigo (combined with the fact that you can’t look over the side railings). This bridge really is a beauty when you see it from the sky (yes, I have been tempted to fly under it !)

Interestingly, the metal structure division of Eiffage, was founded by the famous French engineer Gustave Eiffel. They have quite a record track of ...record braking constructions. 120 years before Millau viaduct, and only 100km away, Eiffel built the very elegant Garabit viaduct, at that time the highest viaduct in the world. Just one of the numerous metallic bridges and buildings constructed in Europe by Eiffel. Should I mention also a famous tower, that bears his name in Paris, 43 years long the tallest building in the world, or the most famous statue in the world, standing on Liberty Island in NYC? A true tradition of innovation!

As a truck driver from Estonia i have driven over this bridge countless times

I knew someone who was on the engineering team, friends who bungee jumped from it and I went there. I'm a French civil engineer having graduated in 1997. A schoolmate of mine was hired in the engineering team and he told us a funny story : the height of the highest pillar had still not been precisely calculated but it was to be around 330 meters, the precise height of the Eiffel tower : they purposefully chose an option that would go higher : it's 336,4 meters (remember it's the same company that was one of the contractors for the bridge and that had constructed the Eiffel Tower). I remember from when I was a kid the huge Millau traffic jams... When the bridge finally opened, I went to see the bridge on purpose, making a long detour to see it on my way from Lyon to Montpellier : I drove on it, then I exited the motorway and went down in the valley to see it from the bottom, then drove up again to go over the bridge in the opposite direction, then exited the motorway to see it from the bottom again from another point of view, then finally drove on again. It was amazing! Btw : when you drive on the bridge, you don't really see the valley bellow because there are those quite high walls on each side to protect the vehicles from the high winds. It is still very impressive though. I have friends who operate a bungee jumping company. As a challenge and a publicity stunt, they went on the bridge just before it was opened and bungee jumped from it. It was of course illegal and they got arrested, but they didn't suffer a big penalty. And by the way : not only the Millau area is stunningly beautiful, but I recommand to eat specialties of the area : it is one of the many places in France where the food is really awesome.

Hey frenchie here, actually I cross this amazing bridge when I'm paying a visit to my godmother. There is enough space on the side of the road to prevent you from seeing the ground near the bridge. There is a often fog aswell and in winter (sometimes), you can see snow on both side of the bridge, but actually there is none beneath it. A very nice region, with GOOD FOOD and A LOT of Cops watching your behavior on the road.

I visit the South of France since 1965. I remember driving with my parents over the Route National roads in the era before the toll high ways. Even during the built of the Millau viaduct with lots of congestion on those roads. I drove over the viaduct several times and sadly as a driver you have no real opportunity to enjoy the landscape, because nobody wants a car accident in the middle of that viaduct. But also that is forseen, there is a very nice touristical viewpont at the North side of the viaduct. We camped in Millau a few weeks and had a look from under the viaduct too. That's impressive too looking up those giant towers and knowing there are driving trucks and cars on top of that. I hope to cross it next summer again.

I've actually lived 30km near this incredible viaduct in France, and there's a nice feature nobody really knows about : the curvature of the bridge is made so that it appears straight when you drive through it. A straight bridge would look smaller and smaller the farther you look at the road, but that isn't the case on this bridge.

Every two years they stop the traffic to organize a running around Millau that passes on the bridge, great experience but no feeling of height.

Hi Ian. I'm am Aussie (Ballarat) and I ventured to France by myself in 2011. I hired a car in Calais and typed Bruges into the GPS. Next thing I know I'm lost and have travelled 4 hours in the wrong direction. Next thing I know the ground dropped away from me and I was driving over air. As someone who has a fear of heights, I can say that this was very scary. I drove in the middle of the bridge. When I made it to the other side I realised that I would have to do it again in order to get to my destination in Belgium. I made it to Bruges at 11pm, couldn't find anywhere to stay, so I slept in the car. It was a great adventure. Oh and by the way, apparently there is a suburb of Marseilles called Bruges!!

yes it is a work of art, my father worked on it he was quantity surveyor (métreur in french [architects]) on this project.

I've driven over it in my mini. Top Gear do it in 3 super cars, clarkson does a comparison between the cars and the bridge. the bridge wins, its an epic piece of engineering.

I drove across this in 2013, and yes, it is way more impressive in the flesh. It's huge!

I take this bridge about a dozen times per year. the toll is €11... Definitely worth it, as it saves about 2h driving time, compared to the old national road going down the valley. This bridge was inaugurated in 2003, local people complained that none would ever stop in the city, thus killing local tourism economy. Well, the exact opposite happened, as this "landmark" brings extra tourists. It is absoltely non-freaky to drive over it, as wind screens prevent sight of the void/drop. Also, mesas around the viaduct are frequently in a foggy weather, and when approching the bridge, it looks like an airport runway... 😀

I have been driving on it a lot of time. Leaving Montpellier at the end of the night. You arrive on it in the beginning of the day. Stop at the parking! The pillars don't seem to exist, hidden in the fog of the valley. The bridge seems to be in levitation... Unforgetable sightseeing.

Millau had a great bakery. we were leaving dad in the car , in the traffic jam, go to the bakery with mom , get a lot of treats , and wait for dad outside the village .

I drove on it once. As a driver it's hard to enjoy the view and the crossing does not last long ! Much less impressive than I anticipated. My wife was dead scared though :D

I visited the bridge in summer camp. It's forbidden to stop on the bridge, but there's a small museum at the base of one of the pillars. It's truly a magnificent sight, I think the only other building that had this kind of impact was the sagrada familia in Barcelone ; although the Viaduc de Millau and the cathedral have only size in common. Your comments made the original video even more interesting, it's like cinema: you get to discover something along with someone and their reactions amplifie yours! Loved this video

Crossing the viaduct feel like flying, man

I've been on this and also under it: you may not stop your car on this so it's more impressive from down under even though the view is _magnifique_ up there undeniably. Also Millau is known for being the world capital of paragliding.

I've driven several times over this bridge. Sadly you cannot stop and enjoy a look over the landscape. It seems to never end, like the Gotthard tunnel in switzerland^^

I knew it used to be the longest bridge in France but didn't know it was the tallest one in the world.

@IWrocker I once flew from Marseilles to Rennes, and the route was over Millau. Even at cruise altitude, the bridge is perfectly visible from the sky in the sunset light. Impressive

I live in Millau so you can imagine how happy i was when i Saw this vido.

Hi from France 🇫🇷. I used to use it as an alternative of the A7 highway and the strangest thing is that you don't notice the bridge when on it. You have to stop and look at it from far away to be aware of the amazing prouesse.

Before inauguration the place was already a brand new sightseeing location and now people are coming from all across Europe and beyond to cross the bridge or get a picture like with the Golden Gate in San Francisco.

About 20 min drive from Millau, there's the town or Roquefort when they make the famous cheese. Interesting to visit too.

I'm a french southern man. I live between Gard and Herault department. I go often to Millau. I remember the construction of this bridge, viaduc. And its inauguration in 2004.

Don't know if anyone made the comment yet, but by night, with the lights on, this looks like the giant crosses in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Very out-of-this-world scenery.

I've lived in the village south of the Viaduct (Saint Georges de Luzençon) for 20 years, and lived in Millau for 10 more years, so I saw all the project from the beginning to the end. One of the 4 ways was in fact litterally going through my village and required to demolish hundred brand-new houses (not inculding mine, but the highway would have been very close). Fortunately, this way was not the one that was chosen. The A75 highway has always been considered a joke for many years because nobody would have believed it would've been possible to make an highway in the worst mountainous terrain possible. But with a lot of money and skill, it became a reality. The main success of this highway is that it is completely free, excepted for the section of the Millau Viaduct. And it is true that the success of the Viaduct made it very profitable year after year. The A75 highway is now totally complete from Paris to Montpellier excepted... in Montpellier, because poor city planning made the junction a completely urbanized area, and building the last section of the highway here would need to erase thousand houses, buildings and routes. One of the worst thing I hear about the Viaduct is his name : english-speaking individuals just can't name it correctly. Millau is not spelled "Milo" but "Mi-yo". It comes from the roman colony it was, Amiliavum, the city of Aemilian / Emilian /Emilien. Also, the real city name is Milhau, which is the occitan version of Millau. The pronunciation is exactly the same, as the -lh in occitan is pronunciated -ye. In french as in occitan, the L is never pronunciated in this case (it is a mute letter). Well, about tourism, the Viaduct definitely removed the giant traffic jams we has, the worst one being the year before it opened, with a giant complete traffic jam from Aguessac to La Cavalerie (30 kms). But many tourists who had the habit to halt in the city in their travel to the south of Europe in summer just now go to the Viaduct without stopping in the city anymore, which makes the city itself less frequentated. The consequence is that many small shops just closed year after year, and the city is stagnating in population due to poor career possibilities, low university studies available, low-paid jobs. The workers who build the Viaduct were mostly NOT from the Millau area, who would have been incapable of having such a numerous workforce. They came from all over Europe, especially eastern countries, and massively established in Millau, which saturated the local rent market. The rent prices skyrocketed. When most of the workers left after the Viaduct was done, it made a huge decrease on the local population, leaving hundred appartments and houses just empty. If, on the short term during the construction, the Viaduct created many jobs in contruction, nowadays many argue that on the long-term, the city itself has created very few new jobs. The real jobs creation were in fact on both sides of the Viaduct, in La Cavalerie on the Larzac Plateau, and in Saint-Germain near Millau. The two cities benefited from the new highway proximity which made the South of France, Spain and Italy very easily to reach by truck. So, how does it feels to drive on the Millau Viaduct ? Do you feel vertige ? Not at all. In fact, you don't see below your car (the road is not in glass !) and the sides of the highway make it very comfortable. The Viaduct itself is equipped of very high curved anti-self-killing barriers who prevent people from jumping, but also to avoid strong winds to destabilize trucks ; however, many base-jumpers manage to jump from the bridge and open their parachutes every year, which is strictly forbidden, and unfortunately when their parachutes don't have a disfunction, they crash at the bottom. It happened a few days ago. Base-jumpers are a real danger as they can fall on other people below, but also create a real danger for the highway users : there is no place to park any car in the Viaduct, so they park in the middle of the highway, with other users arriving at 110 km/h. Notice that all the base-jumpers are always prosecuted by the police when they reach the ground. The Viaduct was done to last for a century at least, which means one day we would need to rebuild it. In fact, the structure is very closely watched by experts in real-time. The Viaduct was tested in resistance before opening. The test was done on each of the 7 pîllars, and consisted in loading 30 trucks with 26 tons of raw materials each, totalling 780 tons, and made of those trucks moving on one side and the other, or parking those trucks during 45 minutes to measure the structure deformation. All those tests were done to see if the Viaduct was okay to support a giant traffic jam of hundred fully loaded trucks. The structure deformation had to be 31 millimeters max, and the measures showed only 2 millimeters. Another thing you don't mention is that the Viaduct is not flat, but has an inclination of 74 meters between the North and the South (3.025%). It has been done to allow users to see the whole structure and road ; otherwise they wouldn't see the end of the Viaduct ; but it was also done to compensate the height geographical difference between the two plateaus it links. Every time I see the Viaduct, its white and elegant structure in the blue sky, it reminds me of a sailing ship, it is very beautiful. But it is only at the bottom of its pillars that you will realize of big it is. The highest pillars is 300m-high, there's a small road and a small bridge at the bottom (perfect spot to appreciate its dimensions !). The small bridge you noticed on your video is on fact a service access route, it allows technicians and engineers easy access to the whole lenght of the Viaduct. This route wasn't there before. It also allows Millau firemen easy access in case of accident / bushes fires / other reasons if anything falls from the bridge. I hope you'll see it one day with you own eyes, unfortunately there is not big city around so you'll have to flight to Montpellier or Clermont or Lyon and drive a lot. (Sorry for my poor english, I do my best lol but as I told you, there are no Universities in Millau lol)

I was a kid (in France) when it was inaugurated and never realized until i watch your video that it was that impressive but mad respect for the engineers.

In summer 2003 there is a Teknival (french giant free or "rave" party in France) near the worksite of this bridge (the first legal teknival in France) , the site of the party was just a 700 meters of the bridge himself but we can't approch him for security En été 2003 j'ai fait un énorme teknival juste a coté du chantier de ce pont , ce fut le premier teknival légal en France (surnommé d'ailleurs "sarkoval" puisqu''il a fallu l'autorisation du ministre de l'intérieur sarkozy pour ce faire ...)

I used to cross that viaduct a lot when going back and forth from Paris to Montpellier, it always was spectacular, but I never realized how high that was, you don't realise that when crossing it

Having driven across this bridge on a number of ocassions, I can tell you that the view isn't that great because of the side barriers. It really doesn't matter though because the impression that wonderful bridge gives you when you first see it for real is breathtaking. If you ever get the chance to cross it, make sure you cross it (at least once)on a clear night. You can stop at the end of the bridge .. look up and you will see the most stars you have ever seen. An incredible engineering masterpeice. Thanmk you for showing this Ian :)

I'm crossing it at least 4 Times per year in the past 17 years. Still amazed. Good video, hi from France

When I grew up, my parents lived south of Millau, my grandparents north of it. We went there almost monthly. I saw the viaduct rise almost month per month, and I had something like a magazine to build a paper model of it during the construction. The model featured an Eiffel Tower, to scale, to show how the viaduct is higher than the eiffel tower. When it opened, it cut off the time to travel past Millau by over an hour. Outside of holidays/summer. Now, going through Millau rather than the viaduct only adds something like 20 minutes and the town looks much nicer. The name of the town is pronounced like "me yo" (\mi.jo\). The toll for the viaduct went from around 5€ during high season (july/august) in the first years to be over 10€, and people still favor it rather than going through the city.

I'm french and every vacation, we go across it ! We always stop right before to rest before the breathtaking sights !

Impressed by a bridge lining up lol. Wait until he finds out about how they dug the channel tunnel, his head will explode into a million pieces. It is an impressive bridge though, drove over it once. There also is a discovery channel documentary about this bridge. Megastructures or some program like that. Very interesting and crazy engineering for sure.

In real life, it's *unfathomably* huge. Like, you see skyscrapers and they're already huge Now put them on their side, stack 3-4 of them, 1 in height, and that's *just* a bridge You never expect a bridge to be this tall and long, it's impressive

What the video doesn't show is what it's like when the clouds move in - you're driving through them.

*_No worker fatalities were reported throughout its construction_* To me that is the most astounding thing about it.

The bridge is not straight, it has a curvature radius of 20km, which made it more difficult to build but more beautiful. There are stop areas before the bridge, with viewpoints from which you can see it better than driving through. It gets magical when you have fog below and the pillars look just like ships sailing above the valley. In the beginning lots of neighbors were against it, afraid of how it would look like, now the population is generally very proud of it. Rightfully so!

I travelled through Milleau many times before and having used the bridge several times since, I can testify that not only is it a miracle of engineering but is a major improvement in the journey time and makes it quite an exciting experience.

I drove across this viaduct shortly after it opened and it felt more like piloting a plane than driving a car, absolutely breathtaking scenery

Absolutely incredible! Thank you Ian for sharing this video with us, I learned a lot and was just as amazed as you were while watching. Also glad to see you’re sipping on some Bundaberg ginger beer, I’m from Brisbane and have been to the bundy distillery.

When the mist is low in the valley, the bridge rides over it like it lies on a smoke screen !

I live very close to this bridge, in The Aveyron. I cross it often - even to the extent that I hardly notice it now! There are a few points to clarify. Firstly, the traffic flow on the A75 is still low. For some reason, people prefer the routes to east and west so the toll has nearly doubled. Still, it's the only toll between Clermont Ferrand and The Med. Next, the bridge supports are NOT in a straight line. From above they form a shallow "C", thus gaining additional stability. The view from the bridge is not good. There are wind deflectors along both sides which somewhat obscure the view and because of its height, the bridge is often in the clouds. It is only fair to add that since completion I have never experienced the bridge being closed, so "chapeau"! P.S. Come to the Aveyron! Peace, calm, forests, lakes, - always friendly, never crowded, beautiful climate.

I remember the excitement driving through the viaduc the first time. Unreal!!! Men can't build cathedrals or pyramids no more but this is a true modern engineering wonder

this is just a humbling piece of engineering.

We love when English speakers pronounce French words with their accent. So charming 😎😍

hi. sorry for my English... if you went to this bridge, I advise you to travel across in north south way. I think it's the best point of view with the curve of the bridge. after crossing it, exit the highway and return to Millau by the local road and you find the museum of the construction of the bridge. after that, and to continue the ride, go to the Millau town, take a place to a restaurant and try "aligo saucisse"... Enjoy the moment and make a little sleep... 😂 you are now ready to travel the rest of the old world!

I love this engineering kind of video. I’ve seen it prior. But I’m enjoying your commentary. And yes I’ve driven across the viaduct too

It's beyond me how smart some people can be! How can you even calculate everything that is needed around, except for the bridge itself. How to calculate strength, wear, maintenance, etc. I am so impressed with these engineers. BUT! Also impressed by the politicians who dared to take the decision. Incomparable.

I'm french and that make my proud of my country, and your right, in real life, this bridge is ENORMOUS !!

What is this? An American KZfaqr actually showcasing our country in a positive light????? I shed a manly tear of joy. 🥲

There is also a story on the bridge Toll station on one side. It was a technical world premiere as well as the roof is a massive single sheet of fiber reenforced concrete without steel bar. It was set all at once. Impressive.

I gotta say, I’m not an engineer, but I’m proud of our engineering in France, we rock with infrastructure projects (and having lived in Ireland and now the uk it’s light years ahead)

I live in the center of france and this bridge saves you like 1h30 when you want to cross the valley, amazing !

i was on the Viaduc de Millau on Saturday 11 December 2022 you don't even realize that you are driving at 200 m high the price to cross it in winter 9€50 and in summer time 11€70 !! l'Aveyron est un tres beau department que vous devez visiter un jour, welcome to France !

we say "everybody said it could not be done - then somebody came and dit it".

That reminds me of the tunnel under the channel (Eurotunnel). It was built from France and from UK at the same time. And once again the alignment was nearly perfect.

I've driven dozens of times on the viaduc and didn't even know it was the tallest bridge in the world.

I'm french so i already been on this bridge and it's really even more impressive when you drive on it !

I'd say extremely good engineers instead of luck, especially when talking about Eiffage. It seems like most projects in which Eiffage is involved turns out almost perfect and often relatively on-time which in the realm of public works is no small feat. They're currently in charge of a large number of works for the hugely massive Grand Paris Express project so we can expect top-notch quality infrastructure. (You should have a look on that one, it's gigantic) Usually French engineering and construction companies are considered very highly skilled and productive. 3 of the 4 largest European building companies are French : Vinci, Bouygues and Eiffage. Eiffage is the best one of the big 3 in my opinion, they were formed by the reunion of Fougerolle, SAE and Eiffel companies, all dating back to the 19th century. The company is partially owned by employees (21+%) as Fougerolle was acquired by employees around the time of merging and also by public entities alongside private ones. They have an impressive list of constructions, either as Eiffage or as their founding companies. Like Sydney Opera, the Channel tunnel, the Louvre Pyramid, several high-speed lines (including the future HS2 in UK), etc.

Drove on it many times. The interesting thing is that you have no idea you are so high up or even on the bridge because it so seamlessly integrates with the rest of the motorway. Also, you cannot really see the heights and the scenery below when you are on it, which is probably a good thing!

My father worked on this viaduc with Eiffage, and he have the chance to shake the hand from President Chirac at the inauguration. @Iwrocker, if you find amazing the fact that the bridge was build on each side and push together perfectly at the end, you will be more amazed to see that this viaduc is not straight, it's curved! (check arial picture of it). For me, that is still mind blowing. (And i was there too with my father, when I was a kid )

For 🇺🇲 viewers, there is a fun fact @ 1:48. On the map shown, on the highest point of the black and blue roads, there is a village named Séverac le Château (Castle at Séverac might be an accurate translation). This location is the birthplace of Marquis de Lafayette, a French warrior who fought with Americans against England for USA independancy back in the eighteenth century

Millau is less than a 2 hour drive from where I live. I should go see the Viaduc one day...

I have never seen the Millau Viaduct in reality, but the logistics company I worked for delivered the rebar (or at least a part of them) for the concrete. Can you imagine how many truck loads went into that thing? And can you imagine how tightly delivery times where scheduled? I still thank every truck driver who worked for us in that time for sometimes making the impossible possible by somehow dodging traffic jams and arriving in time, because being late would have been kind of expensive. (Sadly I can't remember what we would have had to pay for delaying the project.)

Merci à toi d'avoir repris et commenté ce reportage sur le viaduc de Millau (que nous prononçons milo). En France, nous sommes très fiers de cet ouvrage d'Art.

As an engineer I must say "Engineers are never lucky". Great reply though!

The view upthere is incredible … but you can't stop once you're on the bridge and stand there to shoot a couple of pics ! … I drive there about twice a year and each time the road is great … and the bridge awesome… from there go to Millau and take a coffee or a beer at one of the city's café in a very calm and typical south of France town. Beautiful.

I went there a lot of times, i live nearby, in Montpellier. Love this bridge, since I am young I watched the French emission on TV named c'est pas sorcier and they talked about it. This was my favourite episode

Side fact : Jean-Pierre Martin, the site director for this project said in a documentary that he wouldn't be able to build the Great Pyramids of Giza nowadays.

Thank you for reacting to one of our best construction beside the Eiffel Tower

As a French who drove on it maybe 10+ times in his life : please go to Millau's Viaduc's restaurant. This restaurant makes some "special" crêpes only found there. It is DELICIOUS + you get an AMAZING view point. DO IT !

It also made the live in Millau way more comfortable. Traffic jams at each holiday season were a nightmare. That was a time where France had a lot of megaprojects (the Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994, the Viaduc de Milleau in 2004, several TGV lines were also in construction).

This bridge is f.. awesome. I remember there was an episodes of top gear where this bridge was the final destination of the episode. 3 gorgeous cars driving over this amazing bridge, now that’s an episode, so many cool shots of the cars and bridge

I passed the viaduct to go south, the view was incredible over the valley. Great video keep doing this

Never expect luck in physics.

as civil engineer myself specialized in concrete building, I am very impressed with such project.. I would love to be part of something like this someday... not that big structures are often being built here in Finland :D. What comes to measuring such projects. I am sure they had positional data from as many points in the structure as was needed, measurement team must have fixed data points across the valley added to GPS ones, the problem with GPS is that it gives accurate of centimeters when in this kind of projects you need accuracy of millimeters... (inch is 24,5mm and 2,45 cm). I wonder how long it took to pour those concrete pylons.. with climbing/sliding cast... it advanced max 25cm/hour (1/4 m).. so if the pylon is 200m high.. its like 800hours. Still.. even in smaller projects there are challenges.. engineering challenges, so we just engineer them out :). I work in private company, but most if not all our at least where I have been part of have been made for goverment or municipal organizations towns/cities/counties and such... these things that our tax monies get us and they more often than not are made very efficiently.

That's the beauty of science. We may have opposite cultures and habits, but science brings us together. Let's build more bridges than walls.

when you have this kind of panelties for delays you put in a scaduel you plan to be ahead of.