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Millau Viaduct

fosterandpartners.com

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Re: Millau Viaduct

#41

Post by lucianbr »

Sammi wrote: post #37
lairv wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TBH most people I know who regularly drive there still take the Millau valley route, since the viaduct toll is quite expensive at 13€ in the summer (just to cross the bridge)

Doing a bit of googling it seems people report saving anything from 20 min to 1 hour by taking the bridge. But during some particular holidays, where there is lots of traffic, the saving can become 4 hours.

I suppose the 4 hours saving comes from a lot of people being on the non-bridge route, meaning a lot of people choose to not take the bridge. Is there any other possible reason for the 4 hours saved?

Re: Millau Viaduct

#42

Post by Mistletoe »

jollyllama wrote: post #39

Everything I can find about it is overwhelmingly positive but I'd be interested to hear some counterarguments. I've never seen it in person, but to me, it is a bit too angular and brutalist. Something with a more arched styling could have been nice, if it was technically feasible.

I could see people objecting to ruining the look of the countryside and nature with the bridge. It cost almost $500 million in the 2000s. And the village would probably benefit from all that traffic if you consider more traffic good.

Re: Millau Viaduct

#43

Post by kergonath »

cyprien_g wrote: post #2

I live a 2-hour drive from this, so I have driven on it several times. It's very impressive and always a nice part of the journey. And it's not only beautiful, it's also very useful. Before it was built, you had to go through small roads and villages, which, in addition to taking more time, was not very comfortable for the people living there.

> in addition to taking more time, was not very comfortable for the people living there.

That’s quite the understatement. I remember taking one hour to get to the bottom of the valley from the Larzac, and then one hour again to get back up on the other side. We’d often stop for lunch or a coffee in Millau just to do anything at all that was not sitting in the car, but the city was entirely choked by this overwhelming traffic. The viaduct was a massive improvement. And sure, it affected local restaurants and bars, but the city is much more liveable now.

Re: Millau Viaduct

#44

Post by kergonath »

Mistletoe wrote: post #42
jollyllama wrote: post #39

Everything I can find about it is overwhelmingly positive but I'd be interested to hear some counterarguments. I've never seen it in person, but to me, it is a bit too angular and brutalist. Something with a more arched styling could have been nice, if it was technically feasible.

I could see people objecting to ruining the look of the countryside and nature with the bridge. It cost almost $500 million in the 2000s. And the village would probably benefit from all that traffic if you consider more traffic good.

Some restaurants and bars lost out when the traffic went away, but the city as a whole did not really. It is in a very scenic place in a very touristic region, and very well connected thanks to the motorway.

Re: Millau Viaduct

#45

Post by kergonath »

jollyllama wrote: post #39

Everything I can find about it is overwhelmingly positive but I'd be interested to hear some counterarguments. I've never seen it in person, but to me, it is a bit too angular and brutalist. Something with a more arched styling could have been nice, if it was technically feasible.

It is difficult to appreciate without seeing it in person, but considering its absolutely massive scale and that everything about it is just humongous, it blends in the landscape much better than it should. Sure, it is visible, but not overpowering. Norman Foster explained how he tried to blend it with the horizon and the sky and I think he did a fairly good job. The straight lines are unobtrusive. They are there, but they do not command attention.

Re: Millau Viaduct

#46

Post by netfortius »

Love it! One of my favorite (round) trips, this one from Occitanie to Auvergne, twice a year, for acquisition of Salers, Cantal, Saint Nectaire and saucisson d'Auvergne, from their source :)

Re: Millau Viaduct

#48

Post by bobthepanda »

lucianbr wrote: post #41
Sammi wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doing a bit of googling it seems people report saving anything from 20 min to 1 hour by taking the bridge. But during some particular holidays, where there is lots of traffic, the saving can become 4 hours.

I suppose the 4 hours saving comes from a lot of people being on the non-bridge route, meaning a lot of people choose to not take the bridge. Is there any other possible reason for the 4 hours saved?

It's a substantially flatter, straighter line, and much higher capacity. The valley route is only a single lane in each direction with no grade separation at intersections and you are comparing that to a four lane freeway.

Re: Millau Viaduct

#49

Post by [deleted] »

smikhanov wrote: post #7

I especially like the “Team” section of this page. Great recognition given to everyone who participated in this project, all the way to the humblest architecture school intern!

[deleted]
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