When I visited the much ballyhooed Millau Viaduct in the South of France on a gray, windless day in early November, the angle of the sun and the lighting weren’t right for photographing this structure. My wife and I decided to stay another day to get a better photo. (Somebody had to do it!)

We checked into a delightful hotel in Millau, a Tarn River town from which the bridge, or viaduct, gets its name, and did some exploring. The 2,460-meter-long, 32-meter-wide, 343-meter-tall structure towers over everything around it, casting long shadows throughout the valley. In this small town with its narrow, winding streets lined with ancient buildings, the viaduct’s impact is omnipresent. Shops and visitor centers teem with bridge images and souvenirs—books, postcards, photographs, calendars, DVDs, t-shirts, puzzles, placemats, magnets, cups and glasses, and even a local newspaper, Le journal du viaduc.

Historically, Millau has not been a tourist destination. It has remained untouched until now. Then, this awesome, eight-span, cable-stayed bridge that cost 400 million euros opened on Dec. 16, 2004. It generated much anticipation that it would become to Southern France what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris—a symbolic, man-made wonder.

Area residents expect that large numbers of tourists will come to "ride a bridge through the clouds," and then drive down into Millau to explore, shop, and spend money. These "clouds" form when the morning fog from the Tarn Valley rises and surrounds the bridge’s deck, giving motorists on the viaduct the sensation of driving in the sky.

Praised as a spectacular "triumph of engineering," French President Jacques Chirac called the bridge "a new symbol of the excellence of French civil engineering." Yet, it’s amazing how little mention I found about the design and building engineers involved in producing this monument. None were highlighted in the books or other descriptions we read or viewed. In contrast, plastered over all of the materials was the name of the project team’s lead architect, Norman Foster. The architect is being lauded not as one of its design team leaders but as the designer, responsible for it all!

In fact, the design team consisted of four engineering entities—Michel Virlogeux, Arcadis, Greisch, and Thales Engineering and Consulting—and one architectural firm, Foster and Partners. The contractors were Eiffage TP and Eiffel Construction Metallique, both employing extremely creative engineers. All groups came from mainland Europe, except for Foster, who was from England. The project itself was the brainchild of Michel Virlogeux, a structural engineer. But it has been the architect, Foster, in the public spotlight, with little recognition for the others.

Even the DVD shown at the visitor centers solely credits Foster as being the bridge designer. Virlogeux, however, has said, "The bridge was not designed by Foster. I am the designer and he is the architect. The design was a team effort, but the design engineers never lost control of the project." According to Virlogeux, the architects gave their opinions concerning engineering solutions and the way the viaduct fit into the landscape. Once the final design was underway, "the engineers took over. Foster remained to sculpt the engineer’s concept."

It appears that credit for the mighty Millau bridge structure may be hijacked in history books as a feat made possible by architects. Are there others in addition to Virlogeux who will set the record straight?

When the public remains unaware of what structural engineers accomplish and don’t give them credit for their work, falsehoods and deception continue. Young people considering engineering as a career need to know who’s responsible for designing structural marvels like the Millau Viaduct.

Richard Weingardt, P.E., is CEO and chairman of Richard Weingardt Consultants, Inc., a Denver-based structural engineering firm. He can be reached via e-mail at rweingardt@gostructural.com.