A record viaduct
The Millau viaduct is the outcome of an amazing history. From its design to its construction, hundreds of men have given their energy and ingenuity to take part in this unique structure. At the peak of the work, nearly 600 employees were working on the site. They mastered the most modern technologies (laser, GPS…) to control the construction of this steel and concrete giant to the nearest millimetre. And it only took three years, from December 2001 to December 2004.
Record figures
Length: 2,460 m
Width: 32 m
Maximum height: 343 m, or 19 m higher than the Eiffel Tower
Slope: 3.025 %, going up from north to south in the direction Clermont-Ferrand – Béziers
Curve: 20 km
Height of the tallest pier (P2): 245 m
Height of the pylons: 87 m
Number of piers: 7
Length of the spans: Two end spans of 204 m each and six central spans of 342 m each.
Number of stays: 154 (11 pairs per pylon laid out in one mono-axial layer)
Tension of the stays: from 900 t to 1 200 t for the longest
Weight of the steel deck: 36 000 t, or 5 times that of the Eiffel Tower
Volume of concrete: 85 000 m3, or 206 000 t
Cost of the construction: 400 M€
Contract duration: 78 years – 3 years for construction and 75 years of operations
Structural guarantee: 120 years
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