The Millau Viaduct in France is under construction and will be the highest bridge in the world at 343 meters tall, crossing the Tarn River as part of the A75 motorway linking Paris and Barcelona. It will be 2.5 km long with two lanes in each direction supported by 7 pylons instead of the usual two, and cost around 310 million euros to complete by December 2004.

1. The Millau Viaduct Paris - Barcelona

2. Under construct ion is the highest bridge in the world. This bridge will be part of the A75 to link Paris with Barcelona.

3. This suspension bridge has a total length of 2 . 5 km and crosses the Tarn River . It is 343 meters high, a world record. The road, with two lanes on each side, will cross the river at 270 meters above ground. At its highest point, the viaduct is even higher than the Eiffel Tower. Conceived by Norman Foster , this suspension bridge is supported by seven pylons, instead of the two that are common for this kind of construction.

5. The total cost of the project is around 310 million euros ( AUD $525 million). It will be open to traffic i n December 2004, just 39 months after work began.

12. Translated from Portuguese by Mark Harrison, Adelaide