French highway project disruption

 There is still major concern over the A69 highway construction project in France. The new highway will link the city of Toulouse with the town of Castres. There is strong resistance to the project on environmental grounds and there have been numerous protests against the work as well as legal challenges in the courts.  

Protestors against the project recently set fire to temporary site buildings as well as a police vehicle and riot police had to be deployed. A number of arrests have been made.  

Construction work for the highway started in 2023 and the timeline calls for the work to be complete in 2025. When complete, the 53km highway will connect Castres with the existing A68 route between Toulouse and Albi, improving transport between Castres and Mazamet. But environmentalists say that the project will cause extensive damage to wetland areas, affecting groundwater levels.   

A French court rejected concerns by environmental organisations that could have stopped work on the construction of the A69. For their part, the builders say that the route will meet environmental requirements. Part of early construction work was to build passages under the motorway for small wildlife to cross the highway safely. About 60 are envisaged along the route and will be at places where there has been noted a traditional passage of animals.   

Meanwhile, the town of Trappes, situated in the Yvelines department, is to benefit from a road project costing €150 million. A new underground section for the RN10 road will be built, allowing vehicles to bypass the centre of Trappes. The road carries around 80,000 vehicles/day and diverting these from the centre of the town will cut congestion. This project has at least been well received by locals and will reduce pollution and disruption inside the town, as well as boosting safety for vulnerable road users.