Thursday, October 13, 2005

So Now You Know

The Millau Bridge (formally known as le Viaduc de Millau) is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world. Opened in December 2004, the Millau Bridge spans the Tarn River valley in southern France and carries motorists for a 1.6-mile stretch through the Massif Central mountains at a height of 891 feet. The steel-and-concrete bridge is visually distinctive for its streamlined diagonal suspension cables resting on seven pillars, the tallest pillar soaring 1,122 feet high, making it slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and just a bit shorter than the Empire State Building. (The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which hangs 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River, is the world's highest suspension bridge, but it was designed primarily for tourist foot traffic and has only one lane for vehicles.)

(Thanks to John T)