Bridges are marvels of engineering, often characterized by their impressive structural components. One such component is the bridge pier—the vertical support structure that connects the deck to the ground. The height of these piers from the deck downwards to the foundation showcases the ingenuity and challenges faced during construction.
Below is a list of 11 of the world’s tallest bridge piers from the deck to the ground, ordered from the longest to the shortest, along with details about their construction and design.
Why did I choose the height from the deck to the ground? That is because it represents the difficulties of installing the deck, which is the main part of the bridge that poses enormous challenges of construction.
1. Millau Viaduct (France)
- Pier Height: P2 pier at 244.96 meters (803 feet 8 inches)
Millau Viaduct, Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Period: Started in October 2001; completed in December 2004
Longest PIer of Millau Viaduct, Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Bridge Type: Cable-stayed bridge
- Materials: Concrete and steel
Deck of Millau Viaduct, Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Method: Utilized climbing formwork for the piers and launched deck segments by hydraulic jacks supported by temporary pylons and a temporary steel truss in the middle of the spans.
Temporary steel truss, Photo-accessed-2025-03-01,http://cnrsm.fr/g01_dp/viaduc_millau_apk_44/01_greish/04_millau_steelbridge.pdf
2. Kochertal Viaduct (Germany)
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Pier Height: Piers reaching up to 178 meters (584 feet)
- Construction Period: Started in 1976; completed in 1979
- Bridge Type: Single-cell box prestressed girder bridge
- Materials: Prestressed concrete
Source of photo:https://www.highestbridges.com
- Construction Method: Balanced cantilever method with segments cast in place.
3. Lavant Viaduct (Austria)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 165 meters (541 feet)
- Construction Period: Started in 1978; completed in 1981
- Bridge Type: concrete Girder bridge
- Materials: Concrete
Courtesy of photos: Doka
- Construction Method: Employed guided climbing formwork for pylons and balanced cantilever method with in-situ casting.
Courtesy of photos: highestbridges.com
4. Rago Viaduct (Italy)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 150 meters (492 feet)
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Period: Started in 1971; completed in 1974
- Bridge Type: Steel box girder bridge
Courtesy of photos www.highestbridges.com
- Materials: steel and Concrete
- Construction Method: Unique method that involves a customized assembly plan to bring the pieces of pre-assembled steel box beams together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
5. Europabrücke (Austria)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 146.5 meters (481 feet)
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Period: Started in 1959; completed in 1963
- Bridge Type: SteelBox girder bridge
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Materials: Steel and concrete
- Construction Method: Employed balanced cantilever construction with preassembled steel segments.
6. Italia Viaduct (Italy)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 145 meters (476 feet)
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Period: Started in 1968; completed in 1974
- Bridge Type: Steel girder beam bridge
- Materials: steel and Concrete
- Construction Method: Utilized balanced cantilever method with in-situ casting.
7. Verrières Viaduct (France)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 143 meters (469 feet)
Courtesy of photos https://www.wikidata.org/
- Construction Period: Started in 1999; completed in 2002
Courtesy of photos: wikipedia
- Bridge Type: Steel Box girder bridge
- Materials: Concrete and steel
- Construction Method: Utilized climbing formwork for piers and Incremental launching for the deck with temporary cable stays
8. Fades Viaduct (France)
- Pier Height: Piers at 132.50 meters (434 feet)
Courtesy of photos wikimedia.org
- Construction Period: Started in October 1901; completed in September 1909
- Bridge Type: Truss viaduct
- Materials: Quarried granite and steel
- Construction Method: Employed traditional masonry techniques for piers and steel trusses for the deck.
9. Weitingen Viaduct (Germany)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 127 meters (417 feet)
Courtesy of photos: ResearchGate
- Construction Period: Started in 1975; completed in 1978
Courtesy of photos: wikipedia
- Bridge Type: Steel box girder bridge
- Materials: steel and Concrete
- Construction Method: Utilized balanced cantilever construction with precast segments. What is unique is that the approach spans are supported by an inverted cable stay tower that supports a massive beam span
10. Pays de Tulle Viaduct (France)
- Pier Height: Piers up to 124 meters (407 feet)
Courtesy of photos: wikipedia
- Construction Period: Started in 1999; completed in 2002
- Bridge Type: Prestressed concrete box girder/beam bridge
Courtesy of photos https://structurae.net/
- Materials: Concrete
- Construction Method: called successive corbelling method or balanced cantilever method with in-situ casting.
11. Pa Uon Bridge (Vietnam)
- Pier Height: Main piers approximately 100 meters (328 feet)
Courtesy of photos https://vinhhungjsc.com/
- Construction Period: Started in May 2007; completed in April 2010
Courtesy of photos https://vinhhungjsc.com/
- Bridge Type: Box girder bridge
- Materials: Prestressed and reinforced concrete
- Construction Method: Used prestressed concrete segments with considerations for seismic activity.