TRIUMPH AND DISAPPOINTMENT

This is the Millau bridge in France, which spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by Lord Norman Foster of Foster and Partners and bridge engineer Michel Verlogeaux, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 feet) — slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. The viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute from Paris to Beziers. The bridge was formally dedicated in early December, 2004, having been completed ahead of schedule and within its budget of 348million Euros and was opened to traffic two days later. By any yardstick, it is a triumph of design, engineering and construction.

(QE2 Bridge)

Before the Millau bridge was completed, the longest cable stayed bridge in Europe was the Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge, spanning the Thames between Essex and Kent. The QE2 bridge, which was completed on 7 June 1991 and opened on 30 October of that year, was designed by Dr. Ing Hellmut Homberg and Partner and Kvaerner Technology Limited. The central span is 450 m (1,476 ft) long and is suspended 65 m (213 ft) above the Thames (to accommodate ocean-going cruise liners). The approach viaducts on the Essex side measure 1,052 m (3,451 ft) and 1,008 m (3,307 ft) on the Kent side, giving a total length of 2,872 m (9,423 ft). It has an expected life span of 120 years. Again, a triumph of design, engineering and construction.

So where`s the disappointment in all this? Well,the toll payable for using the bridge was supposed to end once the £86million cost of the bridge had been paid for - which happened in 2003 - but the UK Government has chosen to continue the toll nonetheless, ostensibly on the grounds of safety that removing the toll will increase traffic locally above the route's capacity. A spurious argument for a deceitful decision. We should all know better than to trust politicians. Especially us motorists who might want to escape from Essex back to Kent.