»On {time,budget,spec}
The Millau viaduct opened today, exciting much comment:The bridge's construction costs amount to 300 million euros, with a toll plaza 6 km north of the viaduct costing an additional 20 million euros.The project required about 127,000 m2 of concrete, 19,000 metric tons of steel for the reinforced concrete, and 5000 metric tons of pre-stressed concrete for the cables and shrouds. The builder claims that the bridge's lifetime will be 120 years.
It's a damn sight better than Sir Norman Foster's Millennium Bridge.
Compare to the Bay Area's ongoing difficulty rebuilding a bridge damanged in 1989.