College of Engineering Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology

College of Engineering
Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology

Name: GRACE T. SUPERALES
Subject: CE162
Course: BSCE-V
Reaction Paper
Source: _________
Date Assigned: September 26, 2014

Date Due: October 3, 2014
Date Submitted: October 3, 2014
The Tallest Bridge in the World

The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near
Millau in southern France. Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British
architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast's summit at 343.0 meters
above the base of the structure. The 2460 meters long bridge is a stunning architectural and design feat.
The project pushed engineering boundaries with the viaduct being built across one of the deepest
valleys in France, taller than the Eiffel Tower. This was the bridge that was meant to be impossible to be
build, bringing the challenges of; the tallest bridge piers in the world, a 36,000 ton motorway and 7 steel
pylons above every pier each weighing 700 tons. The seven piers of the Millau Viaduct are sunk in
shafts of reinforced concrete in a pyramidal shape, being divided in an overturned V, and the shrouds are
anchored and distributed in semi harps. The program utilized hundreds of high-pressure hydraulic
cylinders and pumps to push-launch the deck spans in place and a PC-synchronized lifting system to lift
the auxiliary piers. Enerpac was awarded the major contract to supply the hydraulic system for lifting
and pushing the bridge spans and piers for the bridge. Intriguingly, the Millau Viaduct is not straight. A
straight road could induce a sensation of floating for drivers, which a slight curve remedies. The curve is
20km in range. Moreover, the road has a light incline of 3% to improve the visibility and reassure the
driver.The local geology was also very testing with susceptibility to mud slides due to fluctuating river
levels and plagued by deep caves. The construction of the deck was an innovation in itself; due to its
height and the distance between piers deck sections could not be craned into position. Instead, they were
'pushed' from both sides. Temporary piers were erected to help support the deck during this process and
to reduce the span. Cable-stayed pylons were used to support the overhanging sections, with a rail like
structure installed below the deck. Winds were a concern especially during the positioning of the decks,
and to reduce the chance of the deck flying out of control, engineers would wait for 3-day weather
windows with wind speeds forecast to be less than 85km/hour.
The bridge was opened by President Jacques Chirac. In his speech he praised the design saying
that it was a monument to French engineering genius and a miracle of equilibrium. The bridge was
entirely privately financed and cost 394 million euros (272 million pounds, 524 million dollars). It was
opened in 2004 to close the "missing link" on the A75 autoroute that connects Paris in the north to
Perpignan in the south; the Millau Viaduct was the result of 17 years of ideas, proposals, and design that
resulted in shaving 37 miles off the former route through the region. But rather than choose a mundane
design that simply did the job, the French went big.
The project required about 127,000 cubic meters of concrete, 19,000 tons of steel for the
reinforced concrete and 5,000 tons of pre-stressed steel for the cables and shrouds. It was formally
inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic on 16 December.
French construction group Eiffage - that built the Eiffel Tower - financed the project in return for
the right to collect receipts from a bridge toll for 75 years. The bridge is now a source of pride for
Millau, which believes many more tourists will come to admire one of the engineering wonders of the
21st Century, our correspondent says. The construction also removes a bottleneck at the town,
completing a new motorway link between Paris and the Mediterranean.

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College of Engineering

Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology

Date Assigned: September 26, 2014

The Tallest Bridge in the World

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