Green light for Motorway Stimulus Plan on the VINCI Autoroutes network

17 September 2015 - New contracts - France

The decree approving the amendments to the agreements between the French government and the motorway concession-holders was published in the Official Journal on 23 August 2015, marking the launch of the motorway stimulus plan measures by VINCI Autoroutes. Approved by the European Commission, this stimulus plan is a partnership between the public authorities and the private sector, aimed at modernising the motorway infrastructure in France, supporting economic growth in the regions and contributing to the creation of jobs. It will reduce the pressures on the road corridors linking the south and north of Europe, resulting in greater safety for drivers, easier access to the motorways from the secondary road network and improved traffic flow. The VINCI Autoroutes concession-holding companies have committed themselves to undertaking over a hundred infrastructure new-build, widening – notably on certain sections of the A9, A10, A61 and A63 motorways – and refurbishment projects. On the VINCI Autoroutes network as a whole, which accounts for about half the French concession-based motorway network, the stimulus plan provides for some 150 operations spread across 11 regions and 31 departments. For VINCI it will represent 2 billion euros worth of funding, out of a total investment of 3.2 billion from the private sector, in return for an extension of concession contracts.

In order to improve the environmental integration of the VINCI Autoroutes network within the regions, some 140 operations are planned that will benefit the areas motorways pass through and people living there. Over and above the legal obligations, these initiatives aim to achieve enhanced protection of the natural environments, notably through the restoration of ecological continuities for small animals, hydraulic developments, ecological engineering and the installation of wildlife crossings, etc. And, finally, there will be a reduction in noise pollution thanks to the installation of noise protection barriers alongside heavily-used established roads. In total, over 140 million euros will be devoted exclusively to this environmental objective.