Summary sheet
The project concerns the construction of the final section of the light vehicle tunnel bypassing Paris to the west via the A86, which links the various trans-European network roads radiating from Paris. The first section of this tunnel received Bank financing in 2000 and will be opened to traffic in 2008.
The project will complete the A86, the second ring road around Paris. The A86, a key artery of the Ile-de-France region, forms part of the Paris ring road system within the trans-European network (TEN). It will enable through traffic to link up with all major radial roads in the French motorway system converging on Paris and connecting it to the TEN network.
The project's environmental aspects were already approved by the Bank at the time of the first appraisal. It was declared as being in the public interest in 1995 in accordance with the relevant EU legislation. The choice of an underground tunnel route helped to minimise the impact during construction and future operation. The most significant residual impact concerns the traffic entering and leaving the tunnel as well as the ventilation units.
The project's procurement procedure was already approved by the Bank at the time of the first appraisal. The concession was awarded following a call for tenders published in the Official Journal of the EU in 1998.