Baluarte Bridge saddles in the pylons to form 152 suspenders in a two plane semi-fan layout. The tallest intermediate pier, P9, is high. It crosses a gorge in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains with a clearance of below the deck, substantially taller than the Eiffel Tower. Its clearance is higher than that of the previous record-holder, France's Millau Viaduct, which has a clearance of . The bridge's central span, long, is also the longest cable-stayed span in North America, longer than that of the John James Audubon Bridge in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Construction on the bridge began on 21 February 2008. The
Richard de Millau Richard de Millau Richard Millau (Milhau) was an 11th-century Cardinal and a major player in the Gregorian reform implemented in the South of France at the turn of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. He entered the Order of Saint Benedict early in life and first entered the monastery of S. Paolo fuori le mura, Rome. He was created cardinal in 1078, elected abbot of Saint-Victor de Marseille (1079–1106), appointed papal legate, then Archbishop of Narbonne (1106–1121), he was a major player in papal policy to regain control of the hierarchy the Church, between Toulouse and Marseille. He was involved in