The 12.4-kilometre coastal road on Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, has become one of the most expensive roads in the world. So far, only eight kilometers (five miles) have been handed over for traffic. But the work is progressing, and despite significant technical difficulties, this ambitious project is scheduled to be completed in four years.

The coastal road, or Nouvelle Route du Littoral (NRL), connects the capital of Reunion, Saint-Denis, with the city of La Possession, located in the north of the island. Reunion is not far from Madagascar, but is a European territory, as it belongs to France as one of its four overseas departments.

The section of the road, which opened last year, has so far cost a staggering 2 billion euros ($2.19 billion) and is expected to cost another 500 million euros ($547.5 million) to complete. This is a record amount for this type of construction, but once completed it will likely be one of the most impressive roads on the planet.

The 12.4 km road is divided into three main sections, including a 5.4 km viaduct along the coastline. Its construction was undertaken by VINCI Construction, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Demathieu & Bard.

The bridge is located at an altitude of 20-30 m above sea level and 70 m from the shore. It is noted that the road has a width of 30 m with three lanes in each direction, which can pass buses, cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

However, since construction began in 2015, NRL has faced a number of technical difficulties as well as delays due to material shortages. The coastal road has suspended viaducts and breakwaters built into the seabed. The goal of the project is to ease traffic on the old and dangerous road that runs along the coast. The road in question presented a safety hazard due to landslides from the surrounding cliffs and weather conditions such as floods that often interfere with traffic.

It is important to relieve the route, as about 60,000 cars run between the two island cities every day.

In addition to the many problems and delays encountered during its construction, it also ran into legal problems as French authorities found evidence of financial irregularities in the project’s bills.

Source: El Pais