France Dedicates World’s Tallest Bridge
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MILLAU, France — Thundering fighter jets streamed the blue, white and red of the French flag as President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday dedicated the world’s tallest bridge, whose biggest pillar is higher than the Eiffel Tower.
The Millau Viaduct can be seen for miles. It has been praised ahead of its public opening Thursday as a work of art combining the strength of cement and steel with the “delicacy of a butterfly.”
Stretching 1.6 miles through France’s Massif Central mountains, the bridge will enable motorists to drive 891 feet above the Tarn River valley in southern France.
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the steel-and-concrete bridge with streamlined, diagonal suspension cables rests on seven pillars.
At 1,122 feet, the tallest is slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower.
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