Construction work on the Toulouse-Castres motorway, disputed by environmentalists, “will begin” even if “some additional improvements” must be found on the environmental aspects, said Tuesday the Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune.
The A69 motorway project “has been the subject of contractual commitments”, all appeals have been rejected and it is supported by most local elected officials, recalled Clément Beaune during the session of questions to the government at the National Assembly. “Work on this project is about to begin. It is therefore no longer quite a project but a start of realization, ”he said.
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“Does that mean things can’t get better, that we can’t discuss it? I do not think so, especially on the environmental aspects” where we can undoubtedly “do better”, added the minister. Clément Beaune specified that he would soon meet the Atosca concessionaire to “see if there are some additional improvements” to be made to the project.
The minister was more hesitant on April 24, the day after a major demonstration against this motorway construction site in the Tarn. He then said on franceinfo that the A69 would be included in the major overhaul of motorway projects started by the government. This review, the results of which are expected this summer, “will relate to a certain number of projects which are not committed”, he indicated on Tuesday.
The motorway projects will be scrutinized “with regard to several criteria, opening up, commitments made and environmental impact”, he explained to the deputies. “We will review a number of projects, we will take courageous, bold decisions, in the coming months,” he said. “Some projects will no doubt be suspended or put on hold,” warned Clément Beaune.