A bridge officially designated the tallest in the world was inaugurated by President Jacques Chirac in southern France on Tuesday - a spectacular feat of engineering that will carry motorists at 270m above the valley of the river Tarn.
Before a crowd of around 1 000 people, Chirac unveiled a plaque by the largest of the bridge's seven pillars which rises to 343m above ground level.
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the Millau motorway viaduct stretches for 2.46km between two plateaux in the Massif Central mountain range and when it opens to traffic on Thursday will remove one of the country's most notorious bottlenecks.
Otherwise, wouldn't one fear it will meet the fate of the DeGaulle Airport terminal, or the rustbucket aircraft carrier of the same name? And let's not speak of the "Scarebus."
At least France tries. When have we last seen a spectacular public work in this country? And if we did, would it be designed by a Yank, a Pom, or Daniel Libeskind?
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