Millau Viaduct

The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road bridge crossing the Tarn valley in southern France. Opened in 2004, it is noted for its exceptional height and long multi-span deck.

Cable-stayed bridge: A bridge whose deck is supported directly by cables connected to one or more towers. The viaduct’s deck is carried by cables radiating from seven slender pylons.
Incremental launching: A bridge-building method that pushes completed deck sections forward from an abutment over successive supports. Steel deck sections were assembled behind an abutment and launched across the valley.
A75 autoroute: A French motorway linking Clermont-Ferrand with Béziers and the Mediterranean coast. The viaduct carries the A75 across the Tarn valley, completing a difficult route section.
Aveyron: A department in the Occitanie region of southern France. The viaduct became a major piece of transport infrastructure in Aveyron.
Tarn Valley: A deep river valley carved by the Tarn in southern France. The valley’s depth and width shaped the viaduct’s height, route, and construction.
Temporary pylon: A temporary tower that supports a bridge deck during construction before permanent structural systems are complete. Temporary towers helped support the advancing deck during the launch.
Tarn River: A river in southern France that flows westward to join the Garonne. The viaduct crosses the Tarn gorge near the town of Millau.
Autoroute toll: A fee charged for using a road, commonly collected at a toll plaza or electronically. Use of the viaduct is tolled, with charges varying by vehicle and season.
Bridge deck: The roadway or walkway surface carried by a bridge’s structural system. The viaduct’s continuous deck spans between pylons and carries motorway traffic.
Stay cable: A tensioned cable connecting a bridge deck directly to a supporting tower. Stay cables transfer deck loads to the viaduct’s pylons.

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