The famed Viaduc de Millau, recently acquired by the Eiffage group, is the last section of the Méridienne (A75 motorway) which runs from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers and Narbonne. By crossing the Tarn river, this viaduct made the Méridienne the quickest and cheapest means of getting from Paris to the Mediterranean and Spain. The edifice itself is titanic, with pylons towering at 343 metres (a world-record). It stretches along 2 460 metres with multiple stays and supports a 4-lane dual carriageway that rushes over the Tarn valley - the edifice connects with the ground in only 9 points throughout the valley. One of the main issues in this project, according to the wishes of architect Lord Norman Foster and local communes, was to barely impact the natural landscape. The result is stunning, the recent addition is subtle and aesthetic. This feat of engineering required advanced designs which can all be discovered during guided tours.
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