Which French viaduct, opened in 2004, carries the A75 motorway across the Tarn valley?

The Millau Viaduct is the French bridge opened in 2004 that carries the A75 motorway across the Tarn valley.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, it was built to complete a faster route between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. Before its construction, traffic heading south often passed through the town of Millau, creating major congestion, especially during holiday periods.

The cable-stayed viaduct is about 2.46 kilometres long and is supported by seven slender piers. Its roadway reaches roughly 270 metres above the Tarn River, while the tallest pier and pylon combination rises to about 343 metres. Those measurements are why the structure is often described as one of the world’s tallest bridges.

The Millau Viaduct is sometimes confused with the nearby older Garabit Viaduct, another celebrated French bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel. Garabit is a railway arch bridge, whereas Millau is a modern motorway viaduct supported by cables.