The French president said his government said it is open to many more road improvement ideas from private road operators and concession holders if the work is at no cost to the taxpayer.
President François Hollande made the announcement during the inauguration ceremony of a six lane upgrade of the A9 Autoroute between Perpignan and the toll area of Boulou in the Pyrenees Mountains region of southwest France.
A report in the newspaper Les Echos said Hollande was reacting to suggestions put to him by the head of4084 Vinci Concessions, Pierre Coppey, and by Patrick Vignal, deputy head of Herault.
Coppey had said that he estimates there could be 100 roads around major cities including Paris, Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes that could benefit from private investment to improve traffic circulation.
Hollande said the Ministry of Transport was more than ready to sit down with the private sector as early as the start of 2017 to seriously consider any proposals put to the government.
The newspaper reported that in exchange for an extension on average of two and a half years on road concessions, motorway companies have committed to more than €3.2 billion of work over the next five years.
President François Hollande made the announcement during the inauguration ceremony of a six lane upgrade of the A9 Autoroute between Perpignan and the toll area of Boulou in the Pyrenees Mountains region of southwest France.
A report in the newspaper Les Echos said Hollande was reacting to suggestions put to him by the head of
Coppey had said that he estimates there could be 100 roads around major cities including Paris, Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes that could benefit from private investment to improve traffic circulation.
Hollande said the Ministry of Transport was more than ready to sit down with the private sector as early as the start of 2017 to seriously consider any proposals put to the government.
The newspaper reported that in exchange for an extension on average of two and a half years on road concessions, motorway companies have committed to more than €3.2 billion of work over the next five years.
