The name word Millau ( pronounced Mee-yo)is the name of a town in the Occitanie region of France. It comes from the name Armelius, the Roman owner of land in the valley.

It's located near the high speed A75 motorway which connects Paris (6 hours north) and  Montpellier ( one hour south).The Mee-yo viaduct ( or bridge) spans the Tarn River , connecting two plateaus. Before the bridge was built the traffic had to pass through the town, causing major traffic jams.

The bridge was conceived in 1987 and a design agreed in 1996 via a design competition. It took 3 years to build and was opened in 2004.It is 2460 meters long and 343 meters high ( taller than the Eiffel Tower) and weighs 290,000 tones.. The deck is 270 meters high. It cost E400m and was designed and built by Sir Norman Foster and Michel Virtogeux. The current road toll one way is 12E Euros and it’s estimated it will take 30 years to pay for itself. The design has been celebrated across the world. Firstly, its slim graceful profile, the masts and cables and the way it was built from both sides and connected in the middle ( If I had been me in charge, it wouldn't have met !). In particular it is liked by he way it blends into nature ie  a gentle curve to improve the aesthetics and built to withstand powerful winds. When it opened the press went crazy, with comments like , ‘a Triumph of French Engineering’, ‘conquering nature’, ‘Taming the wild Tarn valley’, ‘A sculpture on the skyline’, ‘Effortless and Floating’. Jacques Chira descried at as ‘A message of French greatness’.

Some criticize the bridge for being expensive to cross ( only for the rich) and the negative effect it’s had on the town, with shops closing. The traffic has also grown. It also occasionally closed die to high winds. The bridge is also a site for suicides. When built it had the tallest piers, deck and masts in the world. It was triumph !

My song is summarized by the chorus, ‘You made me cry. The world, was enchanted. Our prayers were answered A breathtaking, every changing view. A bridge, a sign of something new ‘. I visited the bridge this year with my brother and its is everything and more I expected. It’s truly breath taking. Trying to describe it, is a thankless task, My words are not worthy. The nearest I got in the song were two verses in the middle.

Firstly  ‘Beauty and mystery A masterpiece, created. The first, in the world. Contours, reinstated. Talking to nature. In the sky, integrated’ and then followed by ‘Shape of an inverted, wing Tapered columns and curves. Like, it’s always been there. It sure took nerves. To soar, to float. To carry, to serve’

I particularly like the line ,’ Like, it’s always been there’ When you see it, it does seem organic and natural and blends in with the valley, the contours, the mist, the sky ..in fact everything

Given the reaction from the worlds press, I do think it should only be described by poets and maybe song writers  ( there Ive said  said it ). In the song I use the words ,’ A bridge, for poets A celestial place. Daring and genius. A sublime creation. A bridge, admired. Angelic, and glorious .I’ve sent photos to many people and now they all want to visit. I should be working for the local Tourist Board, Ive sent them a copy of the song, so who knows !

In case you're in any doubt about how I feel about this piece of sculpture I repeat one of the verses at the end’  You made me cry. The world, was enchanted. A breathtaking, every changing view’. Put this on your bucket list – one of the things you must do before you die !

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