[France] A51 motorway completion: a 2,2 billion euro project

[luchar]

The French Transportation Department announced last week its decision about the A51 completion project, after several months of public debate.

The A51 is meant to link Marseille with Grenoble through the Alps, and work started in the late 1980s. The last 90 km section between Grenoble and Sisteron was about to be built when the socialist government of Jospin cancelled the project. In 2002, the new right - wing government relaunched the project, and showed its desire to complete the motorway east of Gap (the original project was to go by La Saulce, and would not have been very useful for local people, but rather for transit traffic).

So today, we have a 2.2 billion euro project for less than 100 km of motorway, in the Alps. Nobody knows how the government and the communities will find the money to finance the project. If the new gov't in 2007 doesn't cancel anything, work should start in 2010 and the section opening in 2 or 3 section between 2017 and 2020, considering the very high number of tunnels and viaducts needed.

For more infos, check out:
http://autoroutea51.free.fr

[Danno B10M]

That looks to be a stunning project. The bridges and tunnels look amazing. Some very good photos there. I hope the work goes ahead.

[luchar]

Especially when you see the conditions of the actual national roads which link the two pieces of the motorway! Some tunnels are one lane wide, many curves, steep slopes, ... and the road became a "départementale", which will not help its maintenance! I hope the motorway will get built!

[Jam35]

If the new gov't in 2007 doesn't cancel anything

Well, with Villepin's Comment Perdre une Election, that's a big "if".

[t1(M)]

The French Transportation Department announced last week its decision about the A51 completion project,.................... to complete the motorway east of Gap

The Gap Gap!

[Chris56000]

. . .And 16½ years later, with a trip to Le–Lauzet–Ubaye coming up in a week's time, (my friend picked the hotel there!) there's still no sign of it starting or even planned, and we could have done with it as the N85 Route Napolean doesn't look very gratifying, nor the former N75, now D1075!

The photos and maps of it on the site, as well as the site itself, are all a distant memory!

Did any Member ever download the Map zip files and pictures from there? – there's nothing on the W.B.M!

Am I correct in saying it's been canned with only a local Gap bypass and possibly online upgrades to the N85 now planned, – and even they're not certain either?!

Chris Williams