Skip to main content

French budgets trimmed

Reductions in road building budgets are being implemented in various departments in France, in a bid to cut overall spending. In 2009 some €4.5 billion was spent on the road budget, compared with €3.9 billion planned for 2012.
March 16, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Reductions in road building budgets are being implemented in various departments in France, in a bid to cut overall spending. In 2009 some €4.5 billion was spent on the road budget, compared with €3.9 billion planned for 2012. Various local authorities were able to make small cuts in roads budgets until now. However the budget reductions are now becoming more direct as local authorities are seeing their resources fall and social costs rise. Looking ahead through 2012, the outlook is not favourable and for example in Calvados department, three projects for dual carriageways have already been cancelled which is expected to have a corresponding impact on the contracting sector.

Related Content

  • US highway bill finally receives approval by government
    September 27, 2012
    After a long series of delays, the US Government has finally managed to agree the latest highway reauthorisation bill. This comes after numerous short term extensions of the previous bill, due to political stalemate. The short term extensions were not sufficient to allow firms to invest and this situation stunted construction activity in the country. With the bill now in place, contractors will be able to look forward to some transport spending, and will likely increase spending on replacing old constructio
  • Germany builds its first major PPI autobahn project
    July 7, 2015
    Rebuilding of one of the oldest motorways in Germany is testing out the possibilities for public-private project road construction reports Adrian Greeman A freshly renovated section of the A8 Autobahn in southern Germany will be watched with some interest this summer as traffic begins driving along its rebuilt carriageway and additional third lanes. That is not because of any special road features, other than a distinctive reddish colour to its concrete surface, but because it is a first fullscale public
  • China looks to the future with major highway plans
    February 15, 2012
    China is still moving ahead with plans that will give it the world's biggest highway system. Patrick Smith reports. As China's economy grows even more, keeping the country on the move has become a priority for the government. While the country has made great strides over the past decade in improving its infrastructure, the number of vehicles has also increased rapidly, and in some instances restrictions have been placed on them.
  • Public Private Partnerships for Roads Development
    May 29, 2018
    Key to Bridging the Road Investment Gap. There remains a very large gap between the world’s infrastructure needs to meet population and economic growth, and the public sector’s ability to procure commensurate funding. In the road sector, major consulting house McKinsey estimates investments need to be US$900 billion/year to keep pace with projected growth while current levels of investments fall short of this figure by $180 billion globally. Private finance is increasingly perceived as one of the main lever