A 75: The motorway linking Clermont Ferrant to Béziers and which includes the Millau Viaduct.

Call for tender: An operation, supported by a document, by which a potential buyer of goods or supplies presents a precise offer with a view to concluding a deal.
The Eiffage group won the call for tender launched on 21 June 2000 by the Ministère de l’Equipement to operate the Millau Viaduct.

Prestressed concrete: Reinforced concrete in which steel wires are stretched which, when placed under tension, put the material in compression, making it more resistant to bending

Box beam: The central part of the deck 4.20 metres long, manufactured in Lauterbourg in Alsace and assembled at Fos-sur-Mer, in the Eiffel factory.

Causse: A limestone plateau of southern France, of karstic relief. The Viaduct links the Causse rouge (to the north) to the Causse du Larzac
(in the south).

Clavage: Operation consisting in joining the two parts of the deck above the Tarn.

Concession: (granting) The exclusive right to operate, granted by a public authority.

Operator: A company or person who has been granted a concession by the State or a company.

Abutment: A stonework mass backing on to earthwork to support a construction and absorb the thrusts. The viaduct has two, the C0 to the north and the C8 to the south.

Works deadline: The duration of the contract to carry out the work on a deal. For the viaduct the deadline for the work is 39 months.

Subsidiary: A company whose parent company holds more than half the capital

Foster: Lord Norman Foster, architect of the Millau Viaduct and director of the English design office "Foster and Partners"

Stay-cable: A metal cable inclined and straight, ensuring the stability of the Viaduct

Temporary piers: Very tall supports installed between each pier to ease the rolling out of the deck

Pier: a support for the deck of the Viaduct.
The Millau Viaduct will have 7 piers

Lateral floors: A basic floor, the deck of the Viaduct has 2090 all manufactured at Lauterbourg in the Eiffel factory in Alsace.

Prestressing: A technique consisting in submitting to very high, permanent tension, the steel frame usually longitudinal, of reinforced concrete.

Pylon: A metal mast 87 metres high supporting the stays

Foundation slab: A cubic part set into the foundations used as a base for the piers, once the pier is completed the sole will be covered with earth for aesthetic reasons.

Deck: The horizontal bearing structure of the Viaduct, resting on the abutments and the piers, on which the vehicles are driven

Viaduct: A very long bridge structure, generally comprising several arches, making it possible to cross a valley by road or rail.