A71: opening of the new Montmarault interchange

Located in the heart of the Allier department and the historic Bourbonnais region, the project is of national importance for APRR and the motorway network, as evidenced by its inclusion in the stimulus plan adopted by the French government in 2015.
APRR mobilised considerable resources to carry out this project, including building 800 metres of temporary motorway to keep traffic on the A71 flowing during construction of the underpass for the new slip roads.

The new interchange will improve traffic flow and user safety on the A71. From now on, the A71 and the RCEA road network will be connected directly by slip roads, thus bypassing the Montmarault exit tollbooth. On the A71, a new collector lane has been built to separate traffic moving in the Paris-Clermont direction for maximum safety.
APRR has also built 3.2 kilometres of dual carriageway on the RCEA between Montmarault and Sazeret. This roadway forms the first section of the A79, an unduly accident-prone stretch that has been upgraded to motorway standard to improve safety.
The Montmarault interchange was built in the heart of a flourishing rural area, and the construction work was designed to respect local conditions.

The development project was planned with a focus on minimising the impact on agricultural land near the current road network. Materials were reused on site to reduce the amount of transport and traffic. The interchange slip roads and the temporary section of motorway were optimally designed to fit in with the landscape. Water treatment has been improved with new catchment basins and the restoration of the Suchet river, which is conducive to the expansion of local wetlands, as well as to the flourishing of plant and animal life. All access points to Montmarault have been maintained, signposted and made safer, thus consolidating its position as a stopping-off point at the intersection of two national and European traffic arteries.

The opening of the new Montmarault interchange took place on the evening of 5 August 2021, in the presence of Joël Giraud, Secretary of State at the French Ministry of Regional Planning and Cooperation, responsible for Rural Affairs, Jean-Francis Treffel, Prefect of the Allier department, Laurence Vanceunebrock, Member of Parliament for the Allier department's 2^nd electoral district, Claude Riboulet, President of the Allier departmental council, Didier Lindron, Mayor of Montmarault, Nicolas Orset, Deputy Director of Investments and Construction for the APRR Group, and Philippe Appert, Deputy Director of the Rhône region at APRR. The work, which cost a total of €90 million, was funded entirely by APRR.

(c) Photo William Chareyre