The government is considering making major changes to French motorways in the coming years.
As you most probably know, highways are currently managed by private companies, since the government has ceded all management to them. This goes from maintenance to the establishment of rest areas, obviously including pricing. This allows the State to relieve itself of this task. This current model has been in the making for several decades, but it may not last forever.
A revolution for highways
And for good reason, the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, François Durovray believes that it is now time to “reinvent” this system. In an official declaration, the latter insisted on the need to rethink the transport infrastructure management model, emphasizing that the current challenges are no longer the same as those at the time of the establishment of the first motorway concessions, in 2002. “The temporalities and the expectations of users have evolved. The challenges to be met today are very different from those of twenty years ago. of reinvent this model to meet the needs of the French, while taking into account the imperatives of ecological transition and innovation,” he said.
This desire for transformation takes place in a context where France, like many other European countries, is seeking to reassess its transport system with the aim of sustainability and efficiency. The minister announced that a conference on the future of mobility financing would be organized at the beginning of 2025. But what do we already know?
Corporate responsibility
In addition to the question of financing, François Durovray also addressed the management of motorway concessions and their evolution in the medium term. He mentioned the particular case of the end of concession contracts, a deadline which is increasingly worrying players in the sector. Indeed, the concession companies have the obligation to maintain the highways in good condition until the end of their contract, which can sometimes involve large-scale works. The minister therefore indicated that he intended to take firm measures to ensure that these obligations were respected.
“Dealership managers must restore the highway network to good condition until the end of their contract, both in terms of quality, safety and sustainability”, he declared. He added that the State would take its responsibilities and notify the concession companies of the work programs necessary to guarantee the maintenance of the network, particularly for concessions coming to an end. This approach should take place by the end of 2024, according to the ministry.
The motorway reform project is part of a broader context of reflection on the future of the mobility model in France. The challenges of the energy transition and the modernization of transport infrastructure require a review of financing and management mechanisms, and Minister Durovray intends to play a key role in this process. The discussions which will begin in 2025 should make it possible to clarify the contours of these ambitious reforms and to define the role of the State, local authorities and private companies.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
