Officially opened December 14, 2004.

'"The Millau Viaduct is a magnificent example, in the long and great French tradition, of audacious works of art, a tradition begun at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the great Gustave Eiffel," [President of France Jacques Chirac] told a reception.

'The highest of the bridge's seven concrete pillars stands at 1,125 feet, 62 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower. At almost 1.5 miles, it is longer than the Champs Elysees and slightly curved to afford drivers a dramatic view of the surrounding countryside and the ancient town of Millau with its medieval bell tower.

'"The whole thing looks impossibly delicate," Foster said in a telephone interview of what he called his "sculpture in the landscape," a $523 million project financed by construction firm Eiffage.

'"It is a dialogue between nature and the man-made," he said.

'The engineering feat has drawn rapturous praise for its elegant lines, which allow it to blend seamlessly into the surrounding region famed for its gorges, medieval villages and Roquefort cheese.'

— Denis Thomas and Joelle Diderich, Reuters