Although the first works began in 1956 Paris ring road took 17 years to complete: April 25, 1973French Prime Minister Pierre Messmer officially opened the last section of the ring road of Paris, which stretches for 3 kilometers between the Dauphin and Mayo gates.

It is from this date that motorists passing through the capital can completely bypass it thanks to the famous ring road with a total length of 35 kilometerswithout a single red light: the work will cost two billion francs at the time, a staggering cost to finally bring the capital back to modernity and decongest the streets of the city center.

Ring road of Paris: the busiest road in Europe

with more than a million users driving the ring road of Paris every day, it the busiest road in Europe. The first works have started in 1956south of Paris, with a project to build an urban ring road on the site of the former Wall of Thiers, a fortification destroyed between 1919 and 1929.

THE The first part was inaugurated in 1960, between Port d’Orleans and Port d’Italia, at the same time as the A6 motorway. In 1967, another section located in the north between the gates of Saint-Ouen and Le Lilas was commissioned, followed by the section located between the gates of Ivry and Montreuil in 1970.

The section located west of the capital was the last to be built, allowing this impressive work to be completed in 1973, where everything was thought out for the smoothness of traffic, with no less than 148 bridges, 23 tunnels and 50 junctions, 6 of which provide access to highways.

The ring road of Paris: a controversial future

From the very beginning, the Paris ring road has been subject to numerous criticisms, in particular for the noise and pollution it creates. It has been subject to gradual modifications, such as the installation of noise barriers in the 1980s and 90s, or even partial cladding since the 2000s.

The maximum speed was reduced from 90 to 80 km/h in 1993, then to 70 km/h in 2014. But as the municipality grapples with Ann Hidalgo, autophobic and silly projects multiply: from now on it will be a matter of reserving carpool lanes, installing bike lanes, reducing the speed limit to 50 km/h, or worse, turning the ring road into a pedestrian zone to make it a huge park…

The first phase of these major maneuvers will see the light of day during the Paris Olympics in 2024: on this occasion, the left lane of the Paris ring road will be privatized for athletes, members of the Olympic delegations, emergency services, staff and accredited journalists. at the Olympic Games. Therefore, it would not be surprising if this reserved lane becomes permanent, whether for carpooling or public transport.