An administrative court in the southern French city of Toulouse on Wednesday ruled that construction work on the Toulouse-Castres motorway can resume from mid-June, after a three-month shutdown. The project has been heavily contested by environmentalists for the last two years.
This decision "comes as a real relief," said Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, after the Toulouse Administrative Court of Appeal's decision on Wednesday.
"The judge recognised as serious the argument in favour of the existence of a compelling reason of major public interest for the project."
Tabarot said work on the 53-kilometre section could resume gradually from mid-June, and that vigilance would remain "to take environmental protection issues into account."
Stunned by decision
Julie Rover, one of the lawyers representing the opponents of the A69 motorway, expressed her "stunned" attitude immediately after the administrative court's decision was announced.
"The risk today is that work will resume and then in eight or ten months, the cancellation will be confirmed," the lawyer warned.
The project leader and future concessionaire Atosca announced in a press release that it is "already working on a plan for the gradual resumption of activity."
But it will miss its deadline of opening by the end of 2025. Atosca must now repatriate a thousand employees and numerous construction machines to the Tarn region.
Protests across France
Between 100 and 150 protesters gathered late Wednesday in front of Toulouse's Matabiau train station to protest the decision, and around fifteen other demonstrations were held elsewhere in France, including Paris, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, and Bordeaux.
Environmental groups are concerned that the motoway will lead to a loss of farm land and endanger biodiversity.
"The administrative court made a very courageous and informed decision in a somewhat complicated power struggle, since the work had already begun (...) and now that decision has been trampled on," Rita Di Giovanni, a 65-year-old retiree, told French news agency AFP. "It deeply offends me."
Thomas Brail, a leading figure in the protest movement who had perched in trees several times to prevent them from being cut down was furious.
"Do these politicians have children, those who are driving us straight into a wall today? Can they look at themselves in the mirror? I'm ashamed," he told AFP.
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The environmental activist announced that he would begin a hunger and thirst strike as soon as work resumes, "because at some point, we're not heard, we're not listened to."
A large-scale demonstration is also planned for 4 - 6 July near the construction site.
Financial 'waste'
MP of the Tarn department, Philippe Bonnecarrère told AFP that the resumption on works was "eagerly awaited by our fellow citizens" .
The National Assembly is expected to debate the next step on Monday, he said, during the examination of a so-called "validation" bill adopted by a large majority in the Senate in mid-May.
This bill, contested by opponents who consider it unconstitutional, plans to authorise the continuation of the construction site, without waiting for the administrative appeals court to rule on the merits, which will take several months to complete.
Welcoming the decision, Castres Mayor Pascal Bugis deplored "a financial waste."
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In the future, "appeals must be resolved when (a construction site) begins, so that there are no further uncertainties later on," he added.
On 27 February, to everyone's surprise, the Toulouse Administrative Court halted construction of this highway, which began in 2023, due to the lack of a compelling reason of overriding public interest (RIIPM) justifying the environmental impact.
Violent clashes
Since the start of work in March 2023, opponents have occupied trees to prevent them from being cut down, attempted to set up protected areas along the route, and organised gatherings of thousands of people, sometimes marked by violent incidents with law enforcement.
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In recent months, supporters of the A69 have also made their voices heard, notably by demonstrating en masse on 8 March in Castres with the slogan: "A69, we're done!" They see the motorway as a solution to opening up the Castres-Mazamet population area, which has around 100,000 inhabitants.
However, opponents argue that this area is not landlocked, and even if it were, a motorway would certainly not guarantee access to the area and maybe even push people away.
(with AFP)
