The government has decided. Despite long opposition, the executive declared on Monday determined to carry out “to completion” the A69 Toulouse-Castres motorway project, rejected by environmentalists.
“The State is determined to carry out this project, which was decided democratically and systematically confirmed by the judge,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a press release, “work will continue starting this Monday.”
This decision was made after a meeting held on Friday in Castres, in Tarn, during which “a large majority of local elected officials, legitimate representatives of the territory in our democracy, unambiguously reaffirmed their support for the motorway,” according to the same. fountain. .
• What is this project about?
The file is not new. In 1994, the State announced a first project that consisted of expanding national road 126 that connects Castres with Toulouse, in the Occitania region.
But in 2010 it was finally decided to build a highway, parallel to the national highway, to connect the two cities, separated by 52 kilometers.
The construction of this highway is estimated at 450 million euros, of which 23 million correspond to public money; The rest will be financed by the NGE group chosen to build and operate the concession through its subsidiary Atosca.
• A road for what purpose?
On paper, it is about accelerating the opening of Castres and the south of the Tarn department. For elected officials and the government, this new infrastructure should stimulate economic and social activity in the region.
Compared to the national highway, the objective is to save time for motorists going from Castres to Toulouse: about twenty minutes on a 1h30 journey.
But this gain comes at a high price. The round trip between both cities is estimated at 17 euros, which will make it one of the most expensive stretches of motorway in France. This high price is also one of the first arguments of opponents of the project, but it is far from the only one.
• Why such opposition?
Very quickly, the project crystallized numerous oppositions. First of all, what is in question is the very objective of the highway.
Researchers at the Champollion National University Institute thus believe that “research on regional planning has never shown that the creation of transport infrastructure is automatically synonymous with social and economic development for the affected territories.”
Above all, the La Voie Est Libre collective, which positioned itself very early against this project, highlights that the existing national highway is not saturated and that the new highway would only be used by 7,000 motorists a day, while Atosca has more than 10,000. vehicles daily when entering service and 12,000 in 2045.
As an alternative, it proposes the creation of a cycle route and the modernization of the existing national highway.
• Why is the ecological impact at the center of the protest?
But it is above all the ecological consequences of the project that arouse the greatest opposition. Although the State has decided to put an end to the artificialization of the land, the construction of this section affects 420 hectares, of which 316 are agricultural land that, therefore, is intended to be concreted.
At the same time, it would cause the destruction of more than 1,000 trees, sometimes centuries old, and vast areas of forests and wetlands. A perspective that justifies, according to the National Nature Protection Council and the Environmental Authority, calling this project “anachronistic” in 2022 and, therefore, opposing it.
“Ce dossier s’inscrit en contradiction avec les engagements nationaux en matière de lutte contre le changement climatique, d’objectif du zero artificialisation nette et du zero perte nette de biodiversité, ainsi qu’en matière de pouvoir d’achat” assène-t -He. However, this opinion is purely advisory.
• What does the distributor offer?
To convince the rebels, the Atosca distributor proposed several measures. It thus promises to offset carbon emissions by replanting five times as many trees as will be cut down.
A good false idea, echo environmental associations and groups that highlight several studies, including that of‘Atecopol’Political Ecology Workshop in Toulouse, estimating that replacing one mature tree with five young trees was largely insufficient to offset the CO2 absorption capacity of one mature tree.
The government also highlights a new “improvement of environmental support measures: increased replanting, less artificialized surface.”
In addition, “the work undertaken to improve the pricing conditions of the A69 for users and establish new low-carbon mobility services, such as the fast coach project announced by the region or the cycle lane project desired by the associations and currently under study by the department, it will continue,” the Ministry of Transportation promised.
• Why has this project been so delayed?
As is often the case, opponents have greater legal resources. Several actions have been initiated, which effectively delayed the start of work. The truth is that the courts have already ruled four times in favor of the project, rejecting the plaintiffs, on October 6 (summer appeal presented to the administrative court of Toulouse in September). But the procedures are still underway.
Individual actions also had to be taken into account, such as those of environmental activist Thomas Brail and two other opponents who had started hunger and thirst strikes in the place, perched on one of the trees that were intended to be cut down.
For months, opponents have also organized demonstrations to obtain the suspension of the work.
On October 4, Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate of Transport, considered that these actions should stop now, given the judicial decisions issued.
• And now?
“The work will continue starting this Monday,” the government firmly announces. Thomas Digard, one of the representatives of the La Voie est Libre collective, calls for the organization of a “local referendum” on the construction of the highway.
Meanwhile, the group and the opponents called for a weekend of mobilization on October 21 and 22 on the route. The exact location has not yet been specified.
“A deep dialogue took place. The support of the elected representatives of the Republic was reaffirmed. Therefore, we must move forward. I call on everyone to be responsible and respect democratic and legal decisions. Force will remain the law and the rule of law,” replied Clément Beaune. “All suspensive appeals have been tried and dismissed,” adds Matignon.
Source: BFM TV
