Moving bridges, stone bridges, new bridges, historical bridges, world-famous bridges, bridges you've probably never heard of - they're all here. This list even includes a bridge that floats in water and a bridge through which water flows. These are the top 30 most impressive bridges around the world.
At the time of its opening in 1937, the bridge, which took four years to build, was the longest in the world (main span 1,280 meters) and the highest suspension bridge. Golden Gate held these records until the 1960s. Also known for its color, the bridge is partially painted "international orange" to match the warm coastal surroundings and stand out in the skyline for boaters.
The oldest bridge in Florence. Rebuilt after a flood in 1345, renovated in 1565. After this, the bridge over the Arno River was filled with workshops and houses, which sometimes exceeded the dimensions of the bridge itself. The Ponte Vecchio is the only historical bridge in Florence to survive World War II.
The water bridge across the Elbe, connecting two important canals: the Elbe-Havel and the Central German canal, through which communication with the industrial region - the Ruhr Valley - is carried out - the longest navigable aqueduct in the world with a length of 918 meters. The concrete water bridge near Berlin provided a new convenient route for ships. Before its opening in 2003, ships were forced to make a twelve-kilometer detour through the Rothensee lock, along the Elbe and through the Nigripp lock.
Sydney's largest bridge, one of the largest steel arch bridges in the world. The length of the arched span of the bridge is 503 meters. One of the main attractions of Sydney. Because of its remarkable shape, the bridge received the comic name “Hanger” from Sydney residents. It was opened on March 19, 1932. Contains six million rivets. With a width of 48.8 meters, it is considered the widest arched steel bridge in the world, although de facto it is almost twice as wide as the Blue Bridge in St. Petersburg, which is 32.5 meters long over the Moika riverbed with a width of 97.3 meters.
At the time of its construction, the Millau Viaduct, opened in 2004, was the tallest traffic bridge in the world, one of its pillars is 341 meters high - slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower and just 40 meters lower than the Empire State Building in New York. York. The total length is 2460 meters.
One of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, its length is 1825 meters, it crosses the East River and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City. At the time of completion (1883), it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first bridge to use steel rods in its construction. The bridge is built from limestone, granite and Rosenthal cement.
Twice entered the Guinness Book of Records: as the longest suspension bridge (main span - 1991 meters, total length - 3911 meters) and as the highest bridge, since its pylons are 298 meters high, which is higher than a 90-story building. Subsequently, it was surpassed in height of the pylons by the Millau Viaduct. If you stretch out all the steel threads (5.23 mm in diameter) of the supporting cables of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, they can encircle the globe more than seven times. The steel bridge's design takes into account earthquakes, strong winds and strong sea currents.
The most famous bridge in Venice and one of the symbols of the city. It was originally made of wood and collapsed several times. At the end of the 16th century, a new stone bridge was erected, which has survived to this day. The bridge consists of one powerful arch 28 meters long, its maximum height in the center is 7.5 meters, the total length is 48 meters. Built at the narrowest point of the Grand Canal, the bridge rests on 12,000 piles driven into the lagoon floor. On the bridge, in the arched galleries, there are 24 benches (6 benches on each side), separated in the center by two arches.
10. Bay Bridge (Oakland, California)
Suspension bridge across the San Francisco Bay between the cities of San Francisco and Oakland. It consists of two parts: the western suspended (2822 m) and the eastern cantilever (3101 m), which are connected by a tunnel under Yerba Buena Island. The bridge is one of the longest bridges of this type in the world. Opened in 1936, it replaced a seismically unstable bridge.
11. Pontoon Bridge State Route 520 (Seattle, WA)
The longest pontoon bridge crossing Lake Washington is 2,350 meters long. It is based on 77 concrete pontoons.
The longest vertical lift bridge in Europe - 670 meters - rises 77 meters above the Garonne River. The four pylons that serve to lift the span vertically light up blue when the tide is high and green when the tide is low.
Reproducing the contours of DNA, this bridge offers pedestrians 280 meters of architectural and acoustic intrigue. Construction material is steel of various types. Has five viewing platforms.
The Nanpu Bridge, with a total length of 6.5 km and a width of seven breakwaters, which stretches over the Huangpu River, is remarkable for its twisted overhead part.
15. Tower Bridge (London, UK)
A 213-meter pedestrian bridge located 70 meters above the canyon. Not for the faint of heart.
The cable-stayed bridge in Vladivostok across the Eastern Bosphorus Strait connects the Nazimov Peninsula with Cape Novosilsky on Russky Island. The second tallest bridge in the world, its height is 324 meters. It has the world's largest span among cable-stayed bridges with a length of 1104 meters.
Ancient stone bridge over the Vltava river. Construction began in 1357, opening in 1380. The length of the bridge is 520 meters, width - 9.5 meters. The bridge rests on 16 powerful arches, lined with hewn sandstone blocks. It is decorated with thirty sculptures of mainly religious content.
19. Tilikum Crossing (Portland, USA)
Portland's first new 518-meter bridge over the Willamette River since 1973, the Tilikum Crossing, opened in September 2015. The structure is notable not only for its impressive design with 33.7-meter towers and five spans, but also for the fact that the bridge is not intended for cars, which is unusual for the United States. Trams, buses, cyclists and pedestrians can move across the bridge.
20. Hangzhou Bay Bridge (Zhejiang, China)
This is one of the longest transoceanic bridges in the world - its length is 33.6 km. Opened in 2008, it connects the cities of Shanghai and Ningbo. Traffic along it is carried out in three lanes in each direction. Travel speed is up to 100 km/h, service life is more than 100 years. After the completion of the bridge, the route between Shanghai and Ningbo was shortened by more than 160 km. Halfway across the bridge, an island platform with a service center was built, where drivers and passengers can rest, have a snack and use wide range services.
Fully automatic "flying" drawbridge. Raises and lowers from one pylon. Has a deck of 15x5 m.
22. Confederation Bridge (Borden-Carleton, Canada)
Connects Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick on the Canadian mainland. It was opened in 1997. At 12.9 km including access roads, it is the world's longest bridge built over ice-covered water. Relies on 62 supports. 44 spans are the main ones, each 250 meters long. The width of the bridge is 11 meters, the height of the bridge above sea level in the Northumberland Strait is 40 meters, in the central part intended for the passage of sea vessels, it reaches 60 meters. The bridge is built with a slight double curve in the shape of the letter S. This is done so that drivers do not lose their vigilance on the road.
23. Millennium Bridge (Gateshead, UK)
The world's first "tilt" bridge, opened in 2001. The base of the bridge is two steel arches. One of them rises 50 m above the water surface. The other, located almost horizontally, is used by pedestrians and cyclists, and small vessels can pass under it. When a tall vessel approaches the bridge and is unable to pass under the horizontal part, both arches as a single unit rotate 40° around the axis connecting their ends: the pedestrian and bicycle deck of the bridge rises, while the upper arch, on the contrary, lowers. The turn lasts no more than 4.5 minutes, depending on the wind speed. When it is completed, the two arches are in a “equilibrium-raised” position, in which the top points of the arches rise 25 meters above the surface of the water. This maneuver earned the bridge the nickname "Winking Eye".
The fifth longest bridge in the world and one of the longest bridges crossing water. The length of the bridge is about 42.5 kilometers. Built in 2011, the bridge is divided into six road lanes and supported by more than 5,200 pillars. The structure is strong enough to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, a typhoon, or a collision with a vessel up to 300,000 tons.
25. Lupu Bridge (Shanghai, China)
The second longest steel arch bridge in the world. The total length of the bridge is 3.9 km. The length of the arch across the river is 550 meters. The height of the roadway above the water is 46 m. According to the project, the bridge is capable of withstanding a 12-point hurricane and a 7-point earthquake on the Richter scale.
This bridge, opened in 2008, is 290 meters long and 138 meters high. The only bridge in the world in the shape of the letter "X". The cross-shaped support supports two transport tracks, the lower of which is at a height of 12 meters, and the upper of which is 24 meters above the ground. The bridge design is complemented by an illumination system; multi-colored LED bulbs are built directly into the cables.
27. Royal Gorge Bridge (Cañon City, USA)
Opened in 1929, this tallest bridge in the Western Hemisphere is located 291 meters above the Arkansas River. between the towers and has a total length of 384 meters (the span of the suspension bridge is 268 meters). The steel base structure is covered with 1,292 wooden planks. It is used by pedestrian tourists; only passenger cars can travel on it.
The cable-stayed bridge over the lake, located in the new administrative center of Malaysia over the lake, is interesting for its design, reminiscent of a sailboat. The inverted Y-shaped concrete and steel pylon rises 96 meters at a 75° angle to the 165-meter span and is supported by cables (21 pairs on the land side, 30 pairs on the span side) and two supports.
This bridge has won numerous awards since its opening in 1998 for its innovative design and aesthetic appearance. Designed by Christian Menn, the curved Sunniberg is 526 meters long and 12.3 meters wide and features a unique Y-shaped support structure.
A suspension bridge connecting the two historical parts of Budapest - Buda and Pest. Became the first permanent bridge across the Danube. Created by the English engineer William Tierney Clark, the bridge was impressive with an abundance of cast iron and stone and, with a length of 375 meters, was one of the longest at the time of its opening in 1849. Despite the fact that in 1945 the bridge was almost completely destroyed by the Germans, its bridge towers were preserved, which made it possible to reconstruct it in 1949.
Nowadays bridges are not something surprising or supernatural. They have long become a convenient tool for movement, and allow you to achieve your goal in the shortest possible time. Once upon a time, bridges were trees, planks and ropes. Today these are amazing structures that constantly compete in perfection and strength.
After everyone appreciated the convenience of these structures, bridges began to be perceived as a certain form of art; they actually look impressively beautiful and represent a great creation of mankind. Many people specifically go on a trip in order to see and visit the most beautiful bridges in the world.
In this article we will introduce you to longest bridges in the world and we’ll tell you about the construction process, history and many interesting incidents that are inextricably linked with them.
1.Danyan-Kunyshan viaduct. China. This longest bridge in the world, 164.8 kilometers long. It was built as part of the Beijing High Mountain Railway. Its construction took only 2 years. It is located in Jiangsu province, between Shanghai and the city of Nanki. The largest body of water that crosses the bridge is Yangcheng Lake. The lake, in turn, is famous for the fact that it is home to shaggy crabs, whose meat is a great delicacy.
2. Tianjin viaduct. China. Second longest bridge, is also located in China and its construction also took 2 years. Its length reaches 113,700 meters, which stretches from Beijing South Railway Station to the city of Tianjin.
It is not surprising that third longest bridge in the world is located in China. Its total length is 79,732 meters and connects the cities of Zhengzhou and Xi'an. The bridge received this name because it crosses the Wei River twice.
4. Bang Na Highway. Thailand. There is a bridge in the city Bangkok, and its total length is 54 kilometers. The construction of this above-ground structure lasted 5 years, and the cost of the entire project was more than 1 billion US dollars. Traffic across the bridge paid, this is due to the fact that there is a free ground road. The bridge was created in order to relieve traffic jams on highways.
And again, China is the country that holds the record for the longest bridges. Its length is 42.5 kilometers and extends between the city of Qingdao and the Huangdao region, and also crosses the northern part of Jiaozhou Bay.
Construction of the bridge took 4 years and cost China 60 billion Chinese yuan, the same as almost 10 billion US dollars. Every day, 30,000 cars cross the bridge, saving only 20-30 minutes, which is clearly not worth such a waste of the state budget.
6.Bridge (dam) across Lake Pontchartrain. USA. It also has another name, which is better known to Americans - bridge between Mandeville and Metairie, since these two cities are connected by a lake. It is located in the state of Louisiana, and its length is 38.42 kilometers.
If we compare it with other similar buildings, the bridge is particularly stable and resistant to various elements. True, during its existence (since 1948), one or several barges periodically crash into the bridge.
7.Hangzhou Bay Bridge. Despite the fact that this bridge is the seventh on our list, it is actually the first longest transoceanic bridge in the world.
In turn, it crosses the ocean and connects the cities of Shanghai and Ningbo. The length of the bridge is 36 kilometers, its estimated service life is 100 years, despite the fact that it was built in China.
8.Bridge named after Louisiana paratroopers. USA. From the name, it is obvious that the bridge is located in the state of Louisiana, namely between cities of Baton Rouge and Lafayette. The bridge crosses the Atchafalaya Basin and has a length of 29.29 kilometers, making it second longest bridge in the USA. Near the visitor center at milepost 121 of Highway 3177 is a monument dedicated to the memory of the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division.
9. King Fahd Bridge. Saudi Arabia. It is rather a whole complex of bridges, the total length of which is more than 25 kilometers. The purpose of the complex is to connect the city of Al Hubao in Saudi Arabia and island state of Bahrain. Construction began in 1982 when heads of state King Fahd and Isa laid the first stone.
10. Bridge-tunnel over the Chesapeake Bay. USA. Have you ever seen a bridge turn into an underwater tunnel? No? Then you have a great opportunity to take a ride underwater. It is located in Virginia and was built back in 1964.
The bridge, if you can even call it that, consists of two underwater tunnels (1600 meters each), 4 artificial islands, 2 bridges, more than 3 kilometers of dam roads and 9 kilometers of access roads. And all this is done so that US Navy vessels can safely go to the open sea. The total length of all these structures is 24.14 kilometers.
That's how creative people can be. Once you see one of these giants, it will be difficult to name it just a bridge, in fact, this is a real work of art, resourcefulness and talent.
In fact, this is not the limit of human capabilities and, given how quickly our planet is populated by more and more new people, soon it will all be covered with many layers of bridges, highways and tunnels.
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The Chinese have accomplished another architectural miracle of grand scale. The completed Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a critical section of China's East Coast Super Highway. The bridge starts in Jiaxing in the north and ends in Ningbo in the south of the country. It is the longest bridge in the world crossing the ocean, 36 kilometers long. The bridge crosses the Hangzhou Bay in the East China Sea and the Qiantang River in the delta of the great Yangtze River.
The construction of this structure reduced the distance of land transport from Ningbo to Shanghai by 120 km, and the travel time was reduced from four hours to two. The two-way highway contains six lanes and the speed limit is 100 km/h. According to the project, the bridge is guaranteed to last 100 years.
Not only is the bridge the longest (by sea), but it is also built in a challenging marine environment - it has one of the three strongest currents on Earth, typhoons are common, and the seabed is extremely heterogeneous. The map shows the location of the bridge: 
The photo shows the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Bridge 
Hangzhou Bay is a bay in the East China Sea that is home to one of China's natural wonders, the Qiantang River, which creates fast water currents and large waves. The area is also prone to frequent typhoons. These factors made the task difficult for the designers, and the design and construction plan was completed only after nine years of consultation and more than 120 technical studies involving more than 700 experts worldwide. 
The cable-supported bridge design was chosen as it was considered best to withstand adverse conditions, multi-directional flows, high waves, and the geological conditions of the site. The bridge design was also designed in accordance with seismic criteria and maintains the integrity of the bridge in earthquake conditions up to seven on the Richter scale. The 36-kilometer bridge has six lanes, each 3.75 meters long, three in each direction. The total width of the bridge will be 33 m. The height of 62 m allows fourth and fifth generation container ships to pass under the arches. The total length of the cable used in the project will be 32.2 km. 
All bridge assemblies were cast on the ground and the completed components were then transported to site for assembly and final installation. Giant floating cranes with precision anchoring devices were used to load and install the purlins at sea. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge consists of nine sections, and 50 RTK5700 GPS systems have been installed to ensure that all bridge slabs and sections are aligned with perfect precision. 
In the middle of Hangzhou, there is a 10,000 m2 driver's rest island where you can relax and take advantage of full services, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations and an observation deck. The island is popular among tourists who enjoy watching the famous river flow. The service island is built entirely on the pier to avoid destruction and is equipped with the latest security and monitoring systems. There are public parks on both sides of Hangzhou 
The new bridge connected Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. The construction of the bridge took eight years and its cost is estimated at 110 billion yuan (14.16 billion euros). During construction, which took eight years, three artificial islands and an underwater tunnel (also the longest in the world) were created.
Here's what it looks like.
In 2018, the longest bridge in the world across the sea was put into operation, connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. The length of the structure is 55 km, of which 38 km falls directly on various sections of the bridges. In addition to them, there is an underwater tunnel almost 7 km long and artificial islands. The length of the main bridge is almost 30 km; there are three lanes in each direction for vehicle traffic.
Construction began in 2009, taking into account environmental requirements so as not to harm the marine fauna of the region. The tunnel and sections with cable-stayed bridges were built to provide passage for large-capacity sea vessels.
Major work was completed back in July 2017, and it was expected that traffic on the bridge would be launched before the end of the year. However, coordination of border control mechanisms is still ongoing: Hong Kong and Macau, although part of the PRC, are special administrative units.
According to the creators, the bridge will be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 and will last at least 120 years.
One of the main wonders of the industrial world of France is the world-famous Millau Bridge, which holds several records. Thanks to this gigantic bridge, stretching over a huge river valley called Tar, uninterrupted and high-speed travel from Paris to the small town of Beziers is ensured.
Many tourists who come to see this highest bridge in the world often ask the question: “Why was it necessary to build such an expensive and technically complex bridge that leads from Paris to the very small city of Beziers? The thing is that it is in Beziers that a huge number of educational institutions, elite private schools and a retraining center for highly qualified specialists are located.
A huge number of Parisians, as well as residents from other large cities in France, who are attracted by the elitism of education in Beziers, come to study at these schools and colleges. In addition, the town of Beziers is located just 12 kilometers from the picturesque coast of the warm Mediterranean Sea, which, of course, in turn, also attracts tens of thousands of tourists from all over the globe every year.
The Millau Bridge, which can rightfully be considered the pinnacle of the mastery of engineers and architects, is popular among travelers as one of the most interesting attractions in France. Firstly, it offers a magnificent view of the Tar River valley, and secondly, it is one of the favorite objects for modern photographers. Photos of the Millau Bridge, which is almost two and a half kilometers long and 32 meters wide, made by the best and most respected photographers, decorate numerous office buildings and hotels not only in France, but throughout the Old World.
The bridge is a particularly fantastic sight when clouds gather underneath it: at this moment it seems as if the viaduct is hanging in the air and does not have a single support under it. The height of the bridge above the ground at its highest point is just over 270 meters. The Millau Viaduct was built with the sole purpose of decongesting the national route number 9, which constantly experienced huge traffic jams during the season, and tourists traveling around France, as well as truck drivers, were forced to stand in traffic jams for hours.
As mentioned above, the bridge, which is part of the A75 highway, connects Paris and the city of Beziers, but it is quite often used by motorists traveling to the capital of the country from Spain and southern France. It is worth noting that travel through the viaduct, which “floats above the clouds,” is paid, which does not in any way affect its popularity among vehicle drivers and guests of the country who come to see one of the most amazing wonders of the industrial world.
The legendary Millau Viaduct, which every self-respecting bridge builder knows about and which is considered an example of technological progress for all mankind, was designed by Michel Virlajo and the brilliant architect Norman Foster. For those who are not familiar with the works of Norman Foster, it should be clarified that this talented English engineer, promoted to knights and barons by the Queen of Great Britain, not only recreated, but also introduced a number of new unique solutions to the Berlin Reichstag. It was thanks to his painstaking work and precisely calibrated calculations that the main symbol of the country was literally revived from the ashes in Germany. Naturally, Norman Foster's talent made the Millau Viaduct one of the modern wonders of the world.
In addition to the British architect, a group called Eiffage, which includes the famous Eiffel workshop, which designed and built one of the main attractions of Paris, was involved in the work on the creation of the highest transport route in the world. By and large, the talent of Eiffel and the employees from his bureau created not only the “calling card” of Paris, but of the whole of France. In a well-coordinated tandem, the Eiffage group, Norman Foster and Michel Virlajo developed the Millau Bridge, which was inaugurated on December 14, 2004.
Already 2 days after the festive event, the first cars drove along the final link of the A75 highway. An interesting fact is that the first stone for the construction of the viaduct was laid on December 14, 2001, and the start of large-scale construction started on December 16, 2001. Apparently, the builders planned to coincide the opening date of the bridge with the start date of its construction.
Despite a group of the best architects and engineers, building the highest road bridge in the world was extremely difficult. By and large, there are two more bridges on our planet that are located above Millau above the surface of the earth: the Royal Gorge Bridge in the USA in Colorado (321 meters above the ground) and the Chinese bridge connecting the two banks of the Siduhe River.
True, in the first case we are talking about a bridge that can only be crossed by pedestrians, and in the second, about a viaduct, the supports of which are located on a plateau and their height cannot be compared with the supports and pylons of Millau. It is for these reasons that the French Millau Bridge is considered the most complex in its design and the highest road bridge in the world.
Some supports of the A75 terminal link are located at the bottom of the gorge that separates the “red plateau” and the Lazarka plateau. To make the bridge completely safe, French engineers had to separately develop each support: almost all of them are of different diameters and clearly designed for a specific load. The width of the largest bridge support reaches almost 25 meters at its base. True, in the place where the support connects to the road surface, its diameter noticeably narrows.
The workers and architects who developed the project had to face a whole host of difficulties during construction work. Firstly, it was necessary to strengthen the places in the gorge where the supports were located, and secondly, it was necessary to spend quite a lot of time transporting individual parts of the canvas, its supports and pylons. Just imagine that the main support of the bridge consists of 16 sections, each of them weighing 2,300 tons. Looking ahead a little, I would like to note that this is one of the records that belongs to the Millau Bridge.
Naturally, there are no vehicles in the world that could deliver such massive parts of the Millau Bridge supports. For this reason, the architects decided to deliver parts of the supports in parts (if one can put it that way, of course). Each piece weighed about 60 tons. It is quite difficult to even imagine how much time it took the builders just to deliver 7 supports to the bridge construction site, and this does not even take into account the fact that each support has a pylon just over 87 meters high, to which 11 pairs of high-strength cables are attached.
However, delivering construction materials to the site is not the only difficulty faced by engineers. The thing is that the Tar River valley has always been distinguished by a harsh climate: warmth, quickly giving way to piercing cold, sharp gusts of wind, steep cliffs - only a small part of what the builders of the majestic French viaduct had to overcome. There is official evidence that the development of the project and numerous studies lasted just over 10 years.
The road surface of the Millau Bridge, like its project itself, is unique; in order to avoid deformation of expensive metal surfaces, which will be quite difficult to repair in the future, scientists had to invent an ultra-modern asphalt concrete formula. The metal sheets are quite strong, but their weight, relative to the entire gigantic structure, can be called insignificant (“only” 36,000 tons).
The coating had to protect the canvas from deformation (be “soft”) and at the same time meet all the requirements of European standards (resist deformation, be used for a long time without repair and prevent so-called “shifts”). It is simply impossible for even the most cutting-edge technologies to solve this problem in a short time. During the construction of the bridge, the composition of the roadway was developed for almost three years. By the way, the asphalt concrete of the Millau Bridge is recognized as unique of its kind.
The Millau Bridge - harsh criticism
Despite the lengthy development of the plan, well-calibrated solutions and big names of architects, the construction of the viaduct initially aroused sharp criticism. By and large, in France any construction is subject to sharp criticism, just remember the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Opponents of the construction of the viaduct said that the bridge would be unreliable due to shifts at the bottom of the gorge; will never pay off; the use of such technologies on the A75 highway is unjustified; the bypass route will reduce the flow of tourists to the city of Millau.
This is only a small part of the slogans that ardent opponents of the construction of a new viaduct addressed to the government. They were listened to and every negative call to the public was answered with an authoritative explanation. To be fair, we note that the opponents, which included influential associations, did not calm down and continued their protests almost the entire time the bridge was being built.
The Millau Bridge is a revolutionary solution
The construction of the most famous French viaduct, according to the most conservative estimates, took at least 400 million euros. Naturally, this money had to be returned, so travel on the viaduct was made to be paid: the point where you can pay for “a journey through the miracle of modern industry” is located near the small village of Saint-Germain. More than 20 million euros were spent on its construction alone.
At the toll station there is a huge covered canopy, the construction of which took 53 giant beams. During the “season”, when the flow of cars along the viaduct sharply increases, additional lanes are used, of which, by the way, there are 16 at the “passport”. At this point there is also an electronic system that allows you to track the number of cars on the bridge and their tonnage. By the way, the Eiffage concession will last only 78 years, which is exactly how long the state allocated to the group to cover its expenses.
Most likely, Eiffage will not even be able to recover all the funds spent on construction. However, such unfavorable financial forecasts are viewed with a grain of irony within the group. Firstly, Eiffage is far from poor, and secondly, the Millau Bridge served as further proof of the genius of its specialists. By the way, talk that the companies that built the bridge will lose money is nothing more than fiction.
Yes, the bridge was not built at the expense of the state, but after 78 years, if the bridge does not bring profit to the group, France will be obliged to pay the losses. But if “Eiffage manages to earn 375 million euros on the Millau Viaduct earlier than in 78 years, the bridge will become the property of the country free of charge. The concession period will last, as mentioned above, 78 years (until 2045), but the group of companies gave a guarantee for its majestic bridge for 120 years.
Driving along the four-lane highway of the Millau Viaduct does not cost exorbitant amounts, as many might think. Driving a passenger car along the viaduct, the height of the main support of which is higher than the Eiffel Tower itself and only slightly lower than the Empire State Building, will cost only 6 euros (in the “season” 7.70 euros). But for two-axle cargo vehicles, the fare will be 21.30 euros; for three-axles - almost 29 euros. Even motorcyclists and people traveling on the viaduct on scooters have to pay: the cost of traveling along the Millau Bridge will cost them 3 euros and 90 euro cents.
The Millau Viaduct Bridge comprises an eight-span steel roadway supported by eight steel pillars. The weight of the roadway is 36,000 tons, width - 32 meters, length - 2460 meters, depth - 4.2 meters. The length of all six central spans is 342 meters, and the two outer ones are 204 meters long each. The road has a slight gradient of 3%, descends from the south side to the north, its curvature with a radius of 20 km in order to enable drivers to best review. Traffic flows in two lanes in all directions.
The height of the columns ranges from 77 to 246 m, the diameter of one of the longest columns is 24.5 meters at the base, and at the road surface - eleven meters. Each base has sixteen sections. One section weighs 2 thousand 230 tons. The sections were assembled on site from individual parts. Each individual part of the section has a mass of sixty tons, seventeen meters in length and four meters in width. Each support must support pylons having a height of 97 meters. First, the columns were assembled, which were together with temporary supports, then parts of the canvas were moved along the supports using jacks. The jacks were controlled from satellites.
How it's done
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