Major road deals for France

The tender process for the A355 western Strasbourg bypass in France is nearing completion and the winner will be announced shortly. The 24km highway stretch is expected to take 52 months to build and will cost some €750 million while for the moment at least, 4084 VINCI Concessions is the preferred bidder. The 55 year contract includes design, financing, construction and operation and maintenance. Meanwhile the A31 highway linking France with Luxembourg is to be widened in a bid to reduce congestion, as up to 77,000 vehicles cross the border/day. The work will be carried out on the A31 between Thionville in France and Luxembourg and involves adding a third lane reserved for public transport, electric vehicles and carpools. The project forms part of the national transport infrastructure plan, but it could take another 10 years to be carried out. This new drive to increase the schedule of this project is driven by the Vital rail project, which for €166 million should double the A31 to service Terville, Metzange and Kanfen on the French side and Bettembourg, Dudelange and Hollerich on the Luxembourg side.