The administrative court of Clermont-Ferrand will give its decision in less than ten days. It should have been about the appeals presented four years ago by the associations, especially the environmentalists, who oppose the diversion project two communes of Haute-Loire, Saint-Hostien and Le Pertuis.
A real sea serpent, this project was declared of public utility in 1997 and authorized by an order of the prefect in 2020. It should allow to develop a section of 10.7 km in two highways on the national road 88. between Le Puy-en-Velay and Lyon.
During a hearing last week, the public rapporteur requested the partial cancellation due to a defect in the compensatory measures, supposed to compensate for the damage to biodiversity as required by the Environmental Code. Will the judge follow these conclusions or will he go further and cancel the project, as the demanding candidates? Or will it continue this project, started two years ago for its preparatory phase, as requested by the State and the Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, project owner on this operation?
“15,000 vehicles per day”
In this issue, more than thirty years old, there are two opposing views against a background of political disputes. This deviation has also become a mouthful for some “road of Wauquiez”, named after the former president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region who relaunched the project.
For the Region, this project should allow the inhabitants of Pertuis and Saint-Hostien no more “Support the 15,000 vehicles that pass every day through their villages, sources of danger, pollution and noise.” And to answer the problem of trucks (estimated at 2,000 per day here), real banes of the small towns that pass.
The community specifies that it will launch this project of “travel insurance, both for motorists and local residents, with reliable, safe and more direct travel times to the villages of Saint-Etienne and Puy-en -Velay” and to “provide a peaceful living environment for residents”.
“This is a project of great interest to local residents regarding the opening,” advances Thierry Mialon, vice president of the association “Oui à la 2X2 Voies route 88” and resident in Puy.
Alternative project
Opponents agree on the usefulness of a bypass for the villages, they denounce, on the other hand, the choice of a twice two ways. For them, this deviation was thought in the 1990s, in the era of the use of all cars, when the time is rather for the zero artificialization of the earth, in a context of climate crisis.
The associations FNE AURA (France Nature Environment), FNE 43, AUTA and SOS Loire Vivante specify that this route will require “they destroy almost 150 hectares of natural, forest and agricultural areas, threaten the disappearance of 20 hectares of wetlands and more than 100 protected species.” They defend another project, less “environmental impact”.
“This could involve short detours to two lanes limited to 80 km/h. This would fit better into the landscape and take up less land. And we will also take the trucks out of the villages”, defends Renaud Daumas, vice president of FNE Haute-Loire and Elected environmentalist to the regional council.
Truck unloading
Opponents regret that this alternative project has not been seriously studied.
“ In addition, this dual carriageway will increase traffic. On the contrary, we have to offer alternatives, in terms of public transport and rail transport”. alert Pierre Pomarel, spokesperson for the Auvergne Transport Users Association (AUTA), also an environmentalist.
But for the association “Yes to the 2×2 88 road”, which favors a two-lane road for this national road between Toulouse and Lyon, this deviation must be taken in a more global context.
“Just before reaching Pertuis, this road is already two lanes, it is about continuity of development. The RN88 has become a relief axis of the highway for heavy vehicles, because it is 80 kilometers less and a saving of 150 euros without a toll. “, he underlines Thierry Mialon who points out that the two-lane road also means 13% fewer accidents than a two-way road.
“Underestimated budget”
Another subject of contention: the cost of the project, financed mainly by the Region. “The budget was estimated at 226 million euros. But with the increase in the price of materials, additional technical studies and compensation, we think that the final bill will be around 300-400 million euros.calculates Renaud Daumas of FNE Haute-Loire. In a context of budget restrictions, the associations believe that the community should be more rigorous in the allocation of public money.
“The amount is huge to save three minutes on the road. And while we are trying to limit public spending, this seems disproportionate. There are projects that can provide more services to residents. For comparison, 400 million euros is the price of a CHU (University Hospital Center, ed.)”, notes Pierre Pommarel.
“More generally, if we are talking about 55 disputed road projects in France, whether they are motorways, bypasses or bridges, it will cost 12 billion public dollars (according to an investigation of ummagazine Reporterre, editor’s note). That makes a great envelope », adds Renaud Daumas.
Asked by The Tribunela Region indicates that it does not want to comment on the subject before the judgment of the administrative court. According to the judge’s decision, the legal battle could continue at the administrative appeals court in Lyon.
