Friday, May 28, 2004

Span of French Millau bridge, world highest, is completed

MILLAU, France (AFP) - Engineers brought the two central ends of the Millau road viaduct in southwest France together, completing the span of the highest bridge in the world.

The road surface is 270 metres above ground, a world record, and the total structure, with suspension cables added will be 343 metres (1,132 feet) above ground at its highest point or 23 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower.

The crowing part of the operation will be the raising of seven pylons above the platform of the bridge from which are to be suspended supporting cables.

These will take the total height at the highest point to 343 metres. One of the main supporting pylons beneath the platform, known as pylon 2, stands 245 metres high, making it the tallest pylon in the world.
I don't know about you but I don't really want to go on anything French built!
Queen Mary II accident kills 13 - SAINT-NAZAIRE, France (Reuters) - Thirteen people have died and 31 have been injured after a dockside gangway to the world's biggest and most expensive cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2, collapsed at Saint-Nazaire in western France.
Hmm... Looks like the French have a problem with things that suddenly fall down go boom! Falling down and going boom off of the worlds highest bridge doesn't sound like much fun to me!
Paris Airport Emptied After More Cracking - ROISSY, France (AP) - New cracking sounds forced the evacuation Monday of the futuristic terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport a day after a roof collapse killed four travelers.
Again, things that fall down go boom and kill people in France. They can't win wars and apparently they can't build things either!! I'm amazed that the Statue of Liberty hasn't fallen over and killed people. Of course, it is in America where it probably gets better maintenance and the such.

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