Alsace

Transport

The road network

Most major car journeys are made on the A35 motorway (with intermittent areas of dual carriageways), which links Saint-Louis on the Swiss border to Lauterbourg on the German border.

Related Topics:
Motorway - Dual carriageway

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The A4 toll-road (towards Paris) begins 20 km northwest of Strasbourg and the A36 toll-road towards Lyon, begins 10 km west from Mulhouse.

Related Topics:
Strasbourg - Mulhouse

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spaghetti-junctions (built in the 70's and 80's) are prominent in the comprehensive system of motorways in Alsace, especially in the outlying ares of Strasbourg and Mulhouse. These cause a major build of traffic and are the main sources of pollution in the towns, notably in Strasbourg where the motoroway traffic of the A35 was 170,000 per day in 2002. Urban crossings on the A36 near Mulhouse also cause regular disturbances and a lack of communication between driver and road conditions can be seen in the absence of message boards and speed cameras.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At present, plans are being considered for building a new dual carriageway west of Strasbourg, which would reduce the build up of traffic in that area by picking up north and southbound vehicles and get rid of the build up outside of Strasbourg. The line plans to link up the interchange of Hoerdt to the north of Strasbourg, with Innenheim in the southwest. The opening is envisaged at the end of 2011, with an average usuage of 41,000 vehicles a day. Estimates of the French Works Commissioner however, raised some doubts over the interest of such a project, since it would pick up only about 10% of the traffic of the A35 at Strasbourg.

Related Topics:
Hoerdt - Innenheim

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To add to the buildup of traffic, the neighbouring German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, plans to impose a tax on heavygoods vehicles using their roads. Thus, HGVs travelling from north Germany to Switzerland or southern Alsace would most probably bypass the A5 on the Alsace-Baden-Wurttemberg border and use the untolled, French A35 instead.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The train network

Because the Vosges are surmountable only by the Col de Saverne, it has been suggested that Alsace needs to open up and get closer to France in terms of its rail links. Different plans are due to be implemented:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• the TGV Est (Paris - Strasbourg); (ongoing, to be brought into service by 2007);
• the TGV Rhine-Rhône or a Dijon-Mulhouse line (to start in 2006);
• an interconnection with the German InterCityExpress, as far as Kehl and/or Ottmarsheim;
• a tram-train system in Mulhouse (in the stage of realization), then that of Strasbourg (2011).

However, the abandoned Maurice-Lemaire tunnel towards Saint-Dié-des-Vosges is intended to be rebuilt as a toll-road.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The river network

Port traffic of Alsace exceeds 15 million tonnes, of which about three quarters is cented on Strasbourg, which is the second busiest French fluvial harbour. The enlargement plan of the Rhine-Rhône channel, intended to link up the Mediterranean Sea and central Europe (Rhine, Danube, North Sea and Baltic Sea) was abandoned in 1998 for reasons of expense and land eriosion, notably in the Doubs valley.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Air traffic

There are two international airports in Alsace:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• the international airport of Strasbourg in Entzheim;
• the international EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, which is the seventh largest French airport in terms of traffic.