Future
Following many ministerial and policy changes, and tensions between local residents. As a result the completion of the motorway has been on the agenda, for 20 years. At best its completion, is scheduled for 2019.
Once all the sections are completed the road journey from Grenoble-Marseille will be 2h40 (instead of the current 3h30). However there are several problems:
- The design of the road
- The class of roads (toll/free autoroute, expressway or upgrade of the current roads (N75 and N85)
- The cost of the project.
- Strong environmental impact the route.
The motorway must pass through the middle of the South-Dauphiné (Trièves) Alps. There are two options after the Col de Fau (Monestier-de-Clermont) and the current end of A51 from Grenoble:
- The "High Route" is the most direct route over several high passes to Sisteron (Budget envisaged at 1.8 billion euros)
- "Gap East" (via the Drac valley, the Col de Bayard and the Avance valley) to Saulce the current end of the motorway from Marseille (budget envisaged of approximately 2.2 billion euros).
Following a public inquiry organized between 2005/2006, the Minister, Mr Perben, announced in 2006 that A51 would be built on the Gap East route. The route must be finalized for a public inquiry planned in 2008.
Read more about this topic: A51 Autoroute
Famous quotes containing the word future:
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—Olympia Brown (1835–1900)
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—William Gibson (b. 1948)