Thursday, August 28, 2008

Bridging The Gap - Day 5

This is the most amazing bridge I have ever seen, it was Mr Mar's desire to see it live on our way home back from France last July. Pictured below is nothing else but the world's highest bridge (with one mast's summit at 343 metres /1,125 ft) — slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building) : the Millau Viaduct.



The viaduct has a total length of 2,460 m (8,071 ft) - Width 32 m (105 ft). "Designed by Britisch architect Sir Norman Fost*er and conceived by French engineer Michel Virlo*geux, the Millau Viaduct , a feat of technical engineering costing 400 million euros, was financed and built by (a private French construction) group. The viaduct reaches its highest point of 343 m at the top of the pylons and serves as the last link in the Clermon-Ferrand- Beziers motorway. The search for an esthetic viaduct led to the principle of a cable-stayed bridge, featuring slender, stream-lined piers and a lightweight deck, touching down in the valley in only seven places. " (taken from the informative leaflet).


It is fascinating not only because it looks so fragile and delicate! The Millau Viaduct first opened in December 2004. Here's the webcam. And the official site (in French only).

Bridging the Gap is being hosted by Alice until Saturday.

17 comments:

  1. Wow ! what a bridge !! Before it was the Europabrücke relating Austria to Italy which was the highest ! Unfortunately I never could take a picture of it because it is so well protected against the wind so that you can't see anything, and we never went the old way in the valley !
    It's true, suddenly I see bridges everywhere, especially yesterday when I went to the dentist to have one tooth pulled out !

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  2. That's one heck of a bridge! I'm not sure I could enjoy the view from it though...when I travel on these high bridges I sort of get a bit woozy if I look over...

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  3. That's an amazing bridge. I like the way it looks so delicate in spite of its size.

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  4. It DOES look fragile! It would almost make me leary to cross it... It's beautiful - but I am thinking I like my bridges to be more MUSCULAR! LOL! Really, it's gorgeous!

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  5. Yikes! I don't know how I'd feel about driving on that bridge. Fantastic shots of it.

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  6. It is such a beautiful structure and doesn't detract from the natural beauty around it. I would love to see it myself.

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  7. Wow, how amazing!
    I'd want to see that too if I could.

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  8. I think I might get sick if I ever have to travel via that bridge. wow that's high up there.

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  9. wow, what an impressive structure!
    beautiful viaduct set in gorgeous scenery. i wonder what your last post will be if this is so great ;)

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  10. I love all your photos, Mar. The bridges range from wow to quaint.

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  11. Hi Mar. I talk a lot and am rarely at a loss for words... however today the appropriate words for this bridge don't come to me. Things like beautiful, fabulous, incredible just don't seem to quite fit, don't seem to be quite enough. Maybe Reba's favorite word will help. "Woofenderful".

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  12. The best is to watch just in front of you during the passage!!!

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  13. That is certainly a different bridge.

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  14. I think I would be ill if I were on that one. Looks beautiful. I love the web like structures.

    Thanks!

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  15. I am a daring soul, but I think crossing that would make me nervous! It looks like toothpicks and spiderwebs! (And is way too high!)

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  16. I first became aware of this MAGNIFICENT Structure on someone's blog, about two years ago...! It is breath taking, isn't it? And "in person" it must be almost overwhelming in it's hugeness and it's beauty!
    Great to see some more pictures taken of it and especially from you, Mar.

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