Millau Viaduct Foster + Partners

Norman Foster Thomas Leslie

PRESTEL

MUNICH LONDON NEW YORK Facts and figures

Millau Viaduct 2005 RIBA Award Project chronology Millau, Aveyron, 2005 Travel + Leisure Design 1987 Preliminary feasibility studies are 1996-2004 Award for Best Infrastructure undertaken for a bridge carrying Client 2005 ECCS European Award for the A75 motorway across the Ministere de I'Equipement, des Steel Structures Gorge; four routing options Transports, du Logement, du 2006 The Building Exchange (BEX) are examined in detail: Tourisme et de la Mer Award, 2nd Place in the respectively, red, yellow, black Project Team Regeneration category and blue Norman Foster 2006 Balthasar Neumann Prize 1989 28 June: the blue route is

- Commendation selected, though two (Final scheme) strategies 2006 Staalbouwwedstrijd/Concours remain for further Tim Quick open study: Construction Acier - Winner a high-level bridge across Alistair Lenczner International category the Tarn Gorge, or a low-level Anne Fehrenbach 2006 IABSE Outstanding Structure bridge combined with a tunnel

(Initial scheme) Award at its southern end on the Kevin Carrucan 2006 Wallpaper Design Awards Causse du Max Neal Best New Public Building 1991 October: the high-level route Ken Shuttleworth 2008 Chicago Athenaeum across the Tarn Gorge is International Architecture Award officially selected Consultants The structures division of Setra, Engineering Concept: Michel directed by Michel Virlogeux, Virlogeux examines the feasibility of a Structural Engineer: Europe Etudes single structure spanning the Gecti; Sogelerg; SERF valley; these studies are Landscape Architect: Agence TER concluded in 1993 Associate Architects: Chapelet- 1993 July: an architectural/ Defol-Mousseigne engineering competition is Contractor: Compagnie Eiffage du launched to design a bridge on Viaducde Millau (CEVM) the high-level route; 17 structural Principal Awards engineers and 38 architects 2002 Singapore Construction indicate interest in the project; Excellence Award - Civil category eight structural engineers are 2005 D&AD Gold Award selected for the technical study 2005 Festival Automobile and seven architects for the International Award architectural study 1995 February: five bridge designs 2002 10 January: construction of the 2004 7 April: HRH The Duke of are shortlisted southern abutment, C8, begins Edinburgh visits the site; the two 1996 15 July: Minister of Public Works February: work commences halves of the roadway are just Bernard Pons announces that on the pier foundations metres apart and the southern the multi-span cable-stayed 14 April: construction of the section will be moved into place solution presented by Europe first pier, P6, begins within three weeks Etudes Gecti, Sogelerg, SERF June: abutment C8 is complete 24 April: the sixth and final and Foster + Partners is the July: work begins on foundations launch operation of the northern winning design for the temporary road deck deck is completed 1998 May: it is decided that a support towers June: installation of the masts concession for the bridge's September: assembly of the and supporting cable stays construction and future box girders that form the road commences, followed by the operation will be tendered deck begins removal of the temporary road Wind tunnel tests are November: the first piers are deck supports undertaken and the detailed complete 21-24 September: asphalt design of the bridge is finalised 2003 21 February: P2 reaches 145 is laid on the road deck

2000 June: an international invitation metres, breaking the French 6-25 November: the bridge to tender for the concession is height record is subjected to deadweight issued; bids are received from 25-26 March: the launching and dynamic testing to verify four consortia operation for the first southern its strength 2001 August: Compagnie Eiffage sections of roadway commences 14 December: Monsieur Jacques duViaducdeMillau (CEVM), 12 June: P2 reaches 183 Chirac, President of the French

a subsidiary of the French metres, breaking the record Republic, formally inaugurates

construction company Eiffage, is as the world's highest pier the bridge awarded the bridge concession 10 September: the launching 16 December: Millau Viaduct

10 October: the decree awarding operation for the first northerly opens to traffic, one month the bridge concession to sections of roadway begins ahead of schedule Eiffage is published in the 20 October: P2 is complete Journal Officiel at 244.96 metres

14 December: the first stone is 24 November: the last of the

laid by Minister of Transport seven piers, P3 (height 221.05 Jean-Claude Gayssot metres), is complete 9 December: a firework display celebrates the end of the nine

concrete worksites Vital statistics Cost Base dimensions of tallest pier

The bridge's construction broke several Approximately 320million, privately 25 x 17 metres/82 x 56 feet world records: funded Total construction weight Route 242,000 tonnes (36,000 tonnes of

It has the highest piers in the world: The bridge spans from the Causse steel, 206,000 tonnes of concrete) piers P2 and P3, at 244.96 metres/ Rouge plateau to the north to the Deck launch 803.5 feet and 221.05 metres/725 feet Causse Larzac plateau to the south, A technically advanced system

the French a respectively, breaking record completing missing link in the was designed to move the steel previously held by the and Verrieres A75 autoroute - also known as la box-girder deck, as two continuous

Viaducts (141 metres/462.5 feet), and Meridienne - from Clermont-Ferrand sections, across seven piers and the world record previously held by the to Beziers (and by extension seven temporary towers, each Kochertal Viaduct in Germany, which is to Barcelona) across the Massif equipped with computer-controlled 181 metres/594 feet at its highest point Central; the A75 now provides the hydraulic jacks shortest, fastest route by road from

It has the highest bridge tower in the Paris to the Mediterranean coast The two sections were launched world: the mast atop pier P2 peaks at Total viaduct length from the north and south abutments 343 metres/1,125 feet, replacing the 2.46km/1.53 miles respectively, the deck advancing Eiffel Tower (324 metres/1,063 feet) Spans between piers a maximum 600mm every four as France's tallest structure The six central spans measure minutes. In total, 3,280 push cycles 342 metres/1,122 feet; the two from the west and 1,540 from the

It has the highest road bridge deck in outer spans are 204 metres/ east were required to complete at Europe: 270 metres/885.5 feet 669 feet the entire span above the Tarn River at its highest point; Height of road deck above River Tarn Road deck it is twice as tall as the nearly previous 270 metres/885.5 feet The six central spans are composed tallest vehicular bridges in Europe, the Heights of the piers of 173 central box beams, which in Austria and the Italia Pier 1: Europabrucken 94.50 metres/309.5 feet form a spinal column on to which Viaduct in Italy Pier 2: 244.96 metres/803.5 feet the lateral floors and the lateral

Pier 3: 221.05 metres/725 feet box beams are welded Its construction involved the world's Pier 4: 144.21 metres/473 feet

ever deck longest bridge launch when Pier 5: 136.42 metres/447.5 feet The central box beams have a it was 'pushed out' from the south Pier 6: 111.94 metres/367 feet 4-metre/13-foot cross-section and a abutment; this involved the use of the Pier 7: 77.56 metres/254.5 feet length of 15-22 metres/49-72 feet first synchronised set of computer- Height to top of tallest mast controlled horizontal jacks 343 metres/1,125 feet The road deck slopes down at an

angle of 3.025 per cent from south to north

The deck curves in plan, on

a 20km/12.43 mile radius, to allow drivers to appreciate the overall structural form as they approach and pass over it

The deck has a trapezoidal section, which provides negative lift in strong wind conditions

Transparent aerodynamic side screens shelter vehicles from high gusts of wind Masts

Seven steel masts, set on top of the piers, are 87 metres/285 feet high and each weighs approximately 700 tonnes

Between each mast, eleven cable stays (comprising 55 to 91 high- tensile-steel strands, depending on their length) fan down to support the deck; the stays are anchored in the central reservation between the carriageways Traffic On 22 July 2011 the 30-millionth

vehicle crossed the viaduct - an

average of 12,500 vehicles per day

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