A Summer of Major Renovations (and Major Traffic Jams)
From July 9 to August 19, construction takes over the A1 highway heading from Lille to Paris, specifically at the Ronchin-Lezennes section. Remember the construction from summer 2023 going the other way? Well, it’s déjà vu but in XXL format: 5 kilometers of pavement being completely redone and 6 bridges getting a makeover, all for a neat sum of 13 million euros.
In the field, 40 to 70 workers will be hard at work day and night during these six weeks, all to speed up the project as much as possible. Why all this effort? Simply because this major route sees 100,000 vehicles a day in each direction, with 13% being heavy trucks that have certainly taken a toll on the road.
The detours to know for a fun summer
No worries, the DIR Nord has everything planned. If you're coming from Dunkirk or the coast via the A25, take the RN41 towards Lens to join the A1 further down. If you're leaving from the south of Lille (like Loos), you'll need to detour via the RN356 and then the RN227 through Villeneuve-d'Ascq before getting back on the A1. From the north of Lille or Belgium (A22), it's the same strategy: RN227 and then back to the A1 heading to Paris.
These little detours are a must to avoid the nightmare of heavy traffic expected from day one. The DIR Nord strongly recommends adopting them right from the start of the works to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.
An essential construction (but it might sting a bit)
You'll probably complain (we will too), but this construction was necessary to ensure the safety...Safety of drivers. Usually, a roadway gets renewed every 20 years. Here, it’s happening after just 17 years, proving that the super heavy traffic has worn down the asphalt faster than expected.
So yes, it’s going to be a bit annoying, but your safety depends on it (we know, it sounds like a road safety ad).
Bonbon’s great advice for surviving the summer
You know the song: plan your route in advance, make the most of the recommended detours, and why not finally start biking or using public transport for short trips. We promise, it will only last six weeks!
All the info here
