Wow, what a bridge

[BrendanS]

Opening this week. Millau, France

Story here
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1352022,00.html>http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1352022,00.html</A>

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[ArthurWood]

Just saw it on BBC web site - beautiful!

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Felicitations to the Froggies on this. Sad bit is it could'nt happen here because HM Govt prefers more useful structures like the Dome, all the Nimbys would hold up the Planning enquiry for 15yrs and, doubtless, the lentil fanciers and tree huggers would find an endangered newt somewhere

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[Sgroves]

I agree, its fantastic, but at some 300M high, its going to be in cloud an awful lot of the time, I just have this image of drivers richocheting all over the shop in the fog!!

Steve

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[Roy]

Designed by an Englishman to move people between Spain and France and cost £240 million and is very beautiful, very useful and very much on budget. and then there's the Scottish Parliament building that was designed by a Spaniard ...to move people from apathy to derison, and is not very beautiful, definitely useless and a mere £350 million instead of original £35 million. Where were you Sir Norman??

<hr width=100% size=1>Make your own happiness!

 

[Sgroves]

wont it be embarrasing if it emulates the Millenium Bridge?? !!!

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[britemp]

Err, and perhaps because we don't have a hole that big that needs a bridge over it!

I bet HM Govt would be happy to put up bridges like that all over the place if you were happy to stop and pay a tenner every hour or so to use our motorways like you do in France and have your income tax upped to french levels. . . . . . /forums/images/icons/wink.gif


<hr width=100% size=1><< Sig removed at request from Kim Hollamby - he thought it might scare forumites! >>

 

[Oldhand]

Yes, there was a fascinating TV programme on Discovery (I think) on the building of it a few weeks ago. The road sections were jacked out horizontally over temporary steel girder support towers by hydraulic rams. It was certainly leading edge engineering to achieve its construction.

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[Vara]

Any body know whether it's like the Normandie bridge with car parks, cafés,and the facility to walk across it?

<hr width=100% size=1>If it cant be fixed with a lump hammer don't fit it

 

[powerskipper]

Wonder who got the contract for keeping it painted, he must be made for life.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/>http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/</A>
Julie

 

[britemp]

Apparently the company that built it have guaranteed it won't fall down for 120 years, not sure how often they've promised to paint it! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif


<hr width=100% size=1><< Sig removed at request from Kim Hollamby - he thought it might scare forumites! >>

 

[EME]

Ooh, another good patriot ! I assume you are leaving soon?

Some UK holes that need bypassing/avoiding? (without unduly looking to upset anyone) ...... Hull, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton, Glasgow , Port Talbot etc...

Think you,ll find that if you average a tenner an hour on the French toll roads you are probaby averaging about 300 kph .... congrats. Not as bad as crossing any of the toll bridges in the UK? French taxes not as bad as the headline rates would make them appear, lots more reliefs, concessions etc ;;;; however no argument that the total burden is higher ............... then again health, schooling etc. is better..

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue>I am WHAT I say I am</font color=blue>

 

[britemp]

No, I'm staying - I've lived in a few other countries, but England is best. I have just bought a house on the Isle of Wight so that counts as overseas doesn't it?

Frankly I'd rather go to any of those towns than Grenoble! At least I could get a decent curry and not leave glowing from the nuclear power station in the high street./forums/images/icons/frown.gif

300kph? - that's about 186mph in proper money. I must've been exaggerating then as the best I've ever managed to average between peages was 136mph.

So higher taxes equal better services? How fascinating! /forums/images/icons/wink.gif Funny how a country so careful with its social services narrowly avoided electing a neo-nazi racist as president last time round. I always remember the pleasant evenings spent in a rented apartment in 1998 on Rue Trachel in Nice watching the local NF boys and large groups of immigrants rioting outside the NF office below me while Les flics stood and watched. . . . . . . . . .. .(N)ice place! /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

<hr width=100% size=1><< Sig removed at request from Kim Hollamby - he thought it might scare forumites! >>
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by britemp on 15/12/2004 15:32 (server time).</FONT></P>