The site and the men
Manager, pier manager, topographer, welder, formwork setter: they are all part of the success of an exemplary worksite. At the peak of the work, nearly 600 employees were working on the site. The viaduct? A team success. And for all the teams, the pride of having been a part of a unique adventure. Here are some of the on-the-spot reactions.
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Crane operator
Between the earth and the sky
"Working at a height has never really worried me. I've never been afraid of heights. It's just a question of habit. When we lifted the last load of concrete on to the tallest pier of the viaduct, my crane cab was more than 250 metres above the Tarn. |
For seven hours every day, I looked out over the whole construction site, a bit like a bird between the earth and the sky. Rest area, toilet, kitchenette, fridge, air conditioning, I had all the creature comforts. And to lift loads of up to 20 t to such a great height: no problem! A video camera enabled me to know exactly what was happening at ground level."
Saïb Annab, crane operator. |
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Topographer
"Satellites to the rescue"
I definitely spent more time at the top of the piers than in my office. My role consisted in inspecting the position of each formwork before the concrete was poured. I had to make sure they were completely vertical to the nearest millimetre. The smallest mistake in position… and it was the whole pier that went wrong! Unthinkable! On the viaduct worksite, the use of GPS revolutionised our working methods. Reliability, precision and ease of use: it took just 15 minutes to "mark off" a formwork, |
instead of an hour and a half without the system. And there were no more uncertainties due to bad weather conditions. Fog, wind and rain have never prevented communication with satellites."
Pierre Nottin, topographer. |
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Manager of structural work
A steel liner above the Tarn
"Assembling the steel deck started at the end of summer 2002 on huge sites installed either side of the viaduct. The box beams which formed the backbone of the deck came from Fos. The lateral flooring was made in Lauterbourg, in Alsace. 1 700 m of deck were welded and driven on the north side of the viaduct, compared to 700 m to the south. |
Computers were useful at each phase of the construction of the deck, especially during the launching operations. We needed perfect synchronisation of all the conveyors, those indispensable machines for lifting and driving this steel liner from pier to pier, up to its final destination, above the Tarn. The junction of the two parts took place on 28 May 2004. A meeting which took place to the nearest centimetre in the appointed time."
Marc Buonomo, Manager of structural work, Eiffel. |
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Formwork setter
Working at great heigh
"Since I started out in my career, I've always worked on viaducts as a formwork setter. Here at Millau, I took part in all the stages of the construction of pier P3, from setting the concrete base to the final casting, 221 metres in the air! I had to get used to new techniques, and to a new material. With my team, we really had to keep up the pace: one layer of concrete every three days. Each time, four metres gained. Working at great height has never bothered me. Everything was in place for our safety. |
I'm proud to have contributed to the construction of the world's highest bridge. "
José Barbosa Amorim, formwork setter. |
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Welder
The work of an artist
"I've worked with Eiffel since I was 21. Welding? I've done thousands. On bridges and viaducts of all kinds. But never on a construction as prestigious as Millau! A good welder has to be meticulous to obtain perfect results. You have to constantly analyse the right movement to make. Each time, I look for perfection: a neat seam with no runs. Working with metal, it's like sculpting a block of stone. You have to feel the work, it's got to be in your blood… It goes way beyond the simple notion of a job. |
It's a real art!"
Michel Josse, welder |
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Site foreman
A bridge on the pier
"The son of a self-employed father, I left school at sixteen to take a vocational course in building. I wanted to work with my father. Then I trained by myself and gradually progressed to become site foreman. On the viaduct, I managed the team on pier P2, the tallest one, from April 2002 to March 2003, then I went on to P4 for a few months and I finished by taking charge of the construction of the tollgate. Each time it was the same challenge: meet the deadlines with an irreproachable level of quality in the work. |
And having divided the construction of the abutments and piers into 9 sub-sites was an incredible source of motivation. You can't possibly let another team do better than yours!
Dominique Laporte, site foreman |
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Lift operator
How to take the lift
"I spent nearly two years on the site. My job? Lift operator on P3, the second tallest pier of the viaduct. I had sole responsibility for the operating and safety of the lift taking the teams up to the top of the pier. At 21, it was my first real job. And I didn't think that I would enjoy it so much. |
Each time the work on the pier progressed, I also had to prepare and assemble the rails and the other elements anchoring the lift on to the pier. And that is how, in successive sections of four metres, I reached a height of 221 metres!"
Bachir Sadouni, lift operator. |
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> Crane operator
Between the earth and the sky |
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