VINCI opens the A57 highway

VINCI Autoroutes has opened in Toulon the new A57 highway following its widening into a dual three-lane carriageway. This large-scale project, worth €300 million and entirely financed by VINCI Autoroutes under Escota's concession contract, has radically upgraded this highway in southern France, which carries an average of 110,000 vehicles a day. The development has freed up traffic and considerably improved safety, while encouraging the use of public transport and multimodal travel by providing alternatives to solo driving. 

Revamping this 7 km urban highway section through Toulon, La Valette-du-Var and La Garde entailed significant challenges for VINCI Autoroutes, which included adding a lane in each direction, reconfiguring the interchanges and factoring in the latest standards for water resource protection. The works were carried out in heavy-traffic areas, requiring substantial measures to keep daytime driving conditions optimal on the highway.

The A57 project has energised the local economy in general and the local building and public works sectors in particular. At its peak, 550 people worked on the highway, clocking up a total of 2.7 million hours. An agreement on jobs, signed in 2020 with local stakeholders, paved the way to provide some 150,000 hours of work for people on integration paths – more than double the initial target.