President Jacques Chirac has inaugurated the world's highest bridge, a creation taller than the Eiffel Tower, longer than the Champs Elysees and designed to end a traffic bottleneck in southern France.
QUOTE |
The highest of the bridge's seven concrete pillars stands at 343 meters (1,125 ft), 19 meters (62 ft) higher than the Eiffel Tower. At almost 2.5 km (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. |
It's probably a little bit of both. They probably needed a bigger bridge to help out with traffic, but I imagine they had the thought of making it bigger and better than the rest to set the record.
**shudders** When I make it to France one day, that shall be the first thing I avoid being on. I am so terrified of bridges.