Strasbourg bypass surveys halted over environmental concerns

Further delays are looming for construction of the western Strasbourg bypass, a controversial toll motorway project in north eastern France. The government is concerned about environmental issues after Arcos, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Vinci responsible for building the bypass, said it was going to carry out field surveys in 1.5 hectares of what many consider environmentally sensitive areas.
September 27, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Further delays are looming for construction of the western Strasbourg bypass, a controversial toll motorway project in north eastern France.


The government is concerned about environmental issues after Arcos, the wholly-owned subsidiary of 5177 Vinci responsible for building the bypass, said it was going to carry out field surveys in 1.5 hectares of what many consider environmentally sensitive areas.

The project, which Arcos estimates at €553 million, is likely headed for a public inquiry towards the end of the year, according to media reports, with a construction start sometime in 2018.

In late 2015, French construction group Vinci’s consortium was named preferred bidder for the project. The win for Vinci came two years after winning the same contract, but which was cancelled over a lack of secure financing.

The 24km project is officially the tolled A355 Grand Contournement Ouest, a public-private partnership deal.

World Highways reported in March 2012 that the project was expected to cost up to €756 million, compared with the original estimate of €400 million quoted during the call to tender in 2009.

Construction was to have started in 2013 for opening by early 2017 at the latest.

Connected Construction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Belarus opts for a PPP road scheme
    August 12, 2019
    Belarus has started pre-qualification for what will be the country’s first public-private partnership – the M-10 motorway upgrade. David Arminas reports "There’s a little bit of almost everything in this project,” said Steve Gilpin, technical team leader and associate of engineers Ove Arup & Partners International. True to his word, there is. That was how Gilpin kicked off his presentation about Belarus’s planned M-10 motorway project to 180 international bankers, private investors, contractors and en
    Read More
  • Progress on Serbia’s Zezeljev bridge replacement is slow
    August 30, 2017
    Construction of the Zezeljev rail and road bridge across the Danube River is facing further delays, according to the Serbian government. Work on the 470m-long new bridge was supposed to be finished by this month. But national elections and changes of government have hampered progress, Serbian media have reported. The original bridge was completed in 1961 as a single-track railway line and separate roadway between the cities of Novi Sad and Petrovaradin. NATO attacked the structure five times during its camp
    Read More
  • Demand diversity in the construction equipment sector
    June 1, 2015
    Demand within the global construction equipment manufacturing industry is anything but homogenous, with certain countries and sales regions significantly outperforming others, with a whole host of factors fuelling and suppressing each key market - Guy Woodford reports
    Read More
  • Russia’s most expensive road project to commence
    January 15, 2019
    Construction work is being planned for Russia’s most expensive road, which will be built in south of the country – Eugene Gerden reports Work is due to commence shortly on Russia’s most expensive road, in the south of the country. The highway will form part of the existing 1,600km Moscow-Sochi road, according to recent statements from senior officials at the Russian Ministry of Transport as well as local analysts. As part of the project, the Russian Government, together with private investors, plans to
    Read More

Highlighted Content