French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated Tuesday the world's tallest bridge, the viaductof Millau of 270 meters above ground.

The bridge, stretching 2,460 meters, is to open to traffic Thursday, and will then ease traffic from Rhone valley to the east,used mainly by lorry drivers and tourists bound for the Mediterranean and Spain.

Before some 800 workers and technicians, including the viaduct's British architect Norman Foster, Chirac unveiled a plaque on thelargest of its seven pillars.

"The Millau viaduct takes its place among our most shining works of civil engineering. It brilliantly embodies the verve of our research and technology," he said.

"The French people are rightly proud of the feats accomplished here -- feats which speak for France. A modern France; an enterprising, successful France; a France which invests in its future."

The group Eiffage, the French construction giant, financed all its cost of 390 million euro (520 million dollar) and got the right to collect tolls for 75 years in return.

The highway A75 motorway between Clermont-Ferrand and Beziers is connected with the bridge, which will easy much the traffic with only a fee of 4.9 euros (6.5 dollars) for cars and four timesas much for truckers.

The bridge received 2,000 invited guests in the day, and Eiffage predicted an average of 10,000 vehicles per day, with a peak of 25,000 during the summer holidays.

Source: Xinhua