Skip to main content

Eiffage set to be concessionaire for France’s RCEA project

France’s Transport Ministry has chosen construction and concessions group Eiffage as the single prospective concessionaire for the project to complete the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique. The east-west RCEA is considered to be one of the most dangerous routes in France, according to government statistics. Some sections of the route, also called the Route Nationale 79, has been upgraded into a four-lane motorway over the past several decades. The plan is make the remaining two-lane sections into four-lanes
June 17, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
France’s Transport Ministry has chosen construction and concessions group 5871 Eiffage as the single prospective concessionaire for the project to complete the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique.


The east-west RCEA is considered to be one of the most dangerous routes in France, according to government statistics. Some sections of the route, also called the Route Nationale 79, has been upgraded into a four-lane motorway over the past several decades. The plan is make the remaining two-lane sections into four-lanes.

French media reported that negotiations will now begin to finalise the project that could cost as much as €600 million, according to an estimate made last year by Benoît de Ruffray, chief executive of Eiffage.

The concession – which will not be bolstered with any public money – must include the provision for  clean vehicles and the deployment of electric vehicle charging equipment.

The project must be finalised by France’s transport regulator ARAFER and then given the go-ahead by the State Council, likely by the end of the year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Emissions challenge for engine manufacturers
    February 29, 2012
    The German construction equipment manufacturer's association, the VDMA, has said that the new EU-exhaust emission directive presents a major challenge for its members. According to the VDMA, the introduction of the EU-Exhaust Emission Regulation Stage IIIB has resulted in a great deal of investment at huge cost. For customers that has resulted in higher prices and the VDMA sees tighter regulation as being counter-productive.
  • Alleviating Moscow's ring road congestion
    February 20, 2012
    The US$10.5 billion CKAD (Moscow Region Ring Road), being planned and procured under the direction of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, is just one of the roads highlighted at the Moscow Forum.
  • Global growth in machine rental
    May 20, 2015
    The machine rental sector is undergoing significant expansion worldwide – Dan Gilkes reports. Plant hire, equipment rental, leasing, call it what you will, being able to use a machine when and where you need it, with no further concerns relating to ownership costs, depreciation or sudden repair bills, remains a compelling argument for many contractors. Which is one of the main reasons for the continued growth in popularity of equipment rental across the world. Rental has been big business in the UK, the US
  • CRCP is first choice for Belgian highway
    November 28, 2012
    Dan Gilkes reports on a Belgian highway upgrade When the Ministry of Public Works in the Belgian State of Flanders decided to reconstruct and resurface 19km of the N49 Antwerp-Knokke Expressway, continuously reinforced concrete paving (CRCP) with an exposed aggregate surface was the natural material choice. Indeed exposed aggregate, with its high grip and low noise benefits, has been the first option for all motorway surfacing work in Belgium since the 1980s. However, the €15.65 million contract is not a li