A79 autoroute
The A79 autoroute is a proposed motorway in southern France.
The project proposes the creation of a motorway between the A432 autoroute (Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport) to A9 autoroute/A61 autoroute (Narbonne) including a widening of the A7 autoroute via Cevennes Piedmont.
A public inquiry into "Transport in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc Coast" was held between 27 March and 26 July 2006. This new road would avoid the widening of the A7 to 2×5 lanes between Lyon/Valence and Orange and would offer a credible alternative for traffic to the Rhone Valley. It would serve a host of new communities in several departments (Ardèche, Haute Gard, Haute Vallée de Hérault) would be served: Privas, Aubenas, Alès, Vigan. The cost estimated by the Audit of the Highways Departments (2003): 3.4 billion euros (as comparison, the widening of the A7 to 2×5 lanes would cost 890 million euros). The central section is regarded as the priority: Valence–Privas–Aubenas–Alès–Nîmes (via the RN106 and the future western motorway bypass of Nîmes planned for 2020), Hérault will be well served by roads with the completion of the A75 (2009), A750 (2009) and future A9a (a new Southern By-pass for Montpellier-2012). The final route is however currently in discussion.
Towns with apriority to be served:
- Vienne (Isère)
- Valence (Drôme)
- Privas
- Aubenas
- Grotte Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc
- Cévennes
- Alès
- Nîmes
- Anduze
- Grotte des Demoiselles
- Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
- Lodève
- Béziers
- Narbonne