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On December the 14th, the Occitan village of Milhau grabbed the attention of much of the media, thanks to the official opening of the highest bridge in the world, built in only three years.

The viaduct over the river Tarn, within touching distance of this village, located in the Languedoc region, is supported by seven pillars, the main one of which stands 343 metres high, some twenty metres higher than the famous and symbolic Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridge project, designed by the British architect Norman Foster and managed by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux, is of enormous dimensions but with an appearance both elegant and delicate.

Beyond the aesthetic appearance, the nearly 2.5 kilometre long Milhau viaduct, now part of the A-75 motorway, shortens the distance between Paris and the Mediterranean and allows the traffic in the area to flow more freely. (With the opening of the bridge, the distance between Perpignan and the French capital is reduced by about sixty kilometres).

We should also say that the viaduct has cost 400 million euros and was built by the Eiffage company, who will have the right to collect the bridge tolls for 75 years.