A65 autoroute

Motorway in 2010 December,19 at exit 9

Construction in June 2010

The A65 autoroute is motorway in south west France. Construction started in 2008 and it was officially opened on 14 December 2010. It connects Langon (Gironde) to Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), with a toll payable of € 19.70 for the complete journey by car.

Known also as Autoroute de Gascogne, its length is approximately 150 km. The construction project has been initiated by CIACT, who announced the beginning of work in 2008. It was built by a joint venture A'LIENOR, 65% owned by Eiffage and 35% by SANEF, who will have effective control for 65 years.

The financing, construction and running the motorway was born by the private company with no public subsidy required. Funds of over one billion euros were needed from the shareholders and banks to finance the road.

Schedule

• 2006-2007 Decree of declaration of public utility (DUP). Final negotiation of the contract with the State, which will be published after the publication of the decree. Detailed studies into the detail and preliminary procedures to complete the work: Investigations and Hydraulics (legal issues on water).
• 2008 land Acquisition and beginning of work
• Opened December 16, 2010.

Layout

The road increases the speed of journeys from Bordeaux to Pau by automobile. It offers an alternative to the RN134 and RD932 and RD934 (Landes and the Gironde). The road starts in Langon, near Bordeaux, at a junction with A62, then crosses the Gironde and the Eastern part of the Landes where it integrates the By-pass round Aire-sur-l'Adour. Finally it heads through the northern Pyrénées-Atlantiques joining the A64 at Poey-de-Lescar, near Pau.

Environmental Impact

The road consumes 2000 hectares of virgin countryside, in particular sections of France's largest forest, Les Landes. It was predicted to require 4 million tons of aggregates in its construction.

External links

• A'LIENOR Autoroute de Gascogne A65 : Pau - Langon
• A65 Motorway in Saratlas
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