|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| site map | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
motorway aires: 12
|
motorway aires[1]
|
|
france
|
Motorway aires are designed to provide a suitable environment for relaxing,
refreshing and recovering during the long, hard journeys. As well as facilities
of often dubious nature, picnic tables and seats, a telephone kiosk, there
are often optional extras such as a play area or a display related to
some local interest or event. the
A89 autoroute |
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
francenew : a
fifth bridge coming to Bordeaux: pont Bacalan-Bastide, a new
vertical lift bridge
Ile
de France, Paris: in the context of Abelard and of French cathedrals
France’s western isles: Ile de Ré France’s western iles: Ile d’Oleron
on first arriving in France - driving
Marianne - a French national symbol, with French definitive stamps the calendar of the French Revolution
the
6th bridge at Rouen: Pont Gustave Flaubert, the French umbrella & Aurillac the
forest as seen by francois mauriac, and today 50 years
old: Citroën
DS Pic
du Midi - observing stars clearly, A64 Carcassonne,
A61: world heritage fortified city mardi gras! carnival in Basque country what a hair cut! m & french pop/rock country life in France: the poultry fair
short biography of Pierre (Peter) Abelard
|
Map of A89 autoroute showing sorties and aires.
[Derived from ASF
maps] The A89 motorway stretches from Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast in the west to Clermont-Ferrand, and then to near Balbigny in central France. The western part of the A89 has been progressively opened, with several more easterly aires still being constructed and made good. Some motorway sections have not been completed - the dotted sections on the map above, while others are so new - the approaches to the west to Brive and to the west of Clermont-Ferrand - that you will need to obtain a very newly published road atlas for them to be included [as at June 2006]. However the online itinerary service, Mappy, does include the newly opened sections in its itineraries. In 2006, the eastern portion of the A89 officially changed its name to be part of the A89. Until the name change, this part was called, from west to east, the A710, the A711 and the A72. [The motorway from Balbigny to St Etienne is still named the A72.] This change is unlikely to have been published in road atlases yet, but Mappy shows the new road names, as does the website of the motorway concession, ASF. From the central motorway crossroads at Clemont-Ferrand, you can travel north towards Paris, or south on the A75 to Millau, the Mediterranean coast, Provence and the Côte d’Azur. In mid-2006, the section of A89 motorway approaching Clermont-Ferrand from the west has been completed, except for some of its aires, which are in various states of work in progress.
aires on the A89There are not many aires actually on the western motorway, many require you to leave by a motorway exit to reach the aire. Of the aires actually directly accessible from the A89, several to the west of Clermont-Ferrand are still in various stages of construction because this part of the road is so new. On the other hand, the eastern section, until very recently the A72, has several aires worthy of a pause on your journey. On this page, we shall describe a some of the fully established aires, and their notable features. But first some facts and background.
nicknames and names and labelsThe A89 has three nicknames: the autoroute of the presidents, because it passes through the fiefs of both current President Jacques Chirac (Department of Correze) and former President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (Department of Puy de Dome); the empty autoroute, because it passes no other major cities between Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand; and the Transeuropean, as it is intended to be part of a road artery linking the Atlantic to eastern Europe.
There has been a plan for about 20 years for a motorway stretching across the middle of France, from Bordeaux and the Atlantic to Lyon in eastern France. The section between Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand has been built piecemeal, with the western stretch pretty well finished, if not completely joined up. The section between Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon is another matter. This has existed for many years as the A72, with smaller joining sections, the A710 and the A711, just to the east of Clermont-Ferrand. As previously mentioned, these smaller sections and part of the A72 have just been renamed to become A89. Most road atlases will still call this motorway section the A72. However, ASF - concessionary company for the A89 - now uses the new name. To recap, the A72 from the east of Clermont-Ferrand to the junction near to Balbigny is now called the A89. The section of the A72 from Balbigny to St Etienne remains the A72. When French ministerial wrangling eventually finishes, a last section of the A89 will be built to go directly between Balbigny and Lyon. This will end having to make the current big dog-leg southwards to St-Etienne and back north to Lyon. (The ministerial wrangling is still being discussed in the French Senate [2].)
The bridges across the autoroute are labelled with seemingly cryptic
codes - N89, D27, C8. The labels are further colour-coded: N - red, D
- yellow, C - white. But, with the aid of your road atlas, this code is
soon deciphered - the labels helpfully mark the name of the road that
is going over that bridge. Now, for the navigator it is no longer of keeping
a running count of bridges passed since the last exit or aire, in order
to tell the driver or restless passengers how far or how long before we
reach the next stopping point. an environmental motorway
[Image credit: Marc-Olivier Agnes]
[Image credit: Marc-Olivier Agnes] Water has been protected by two actions:
The legal requirements for noise state that the road and its traffic must not be louder than 60 decibels during the day and 55dB at night. Firstly to ensure this, a route was chosen to avoid as many habitations as possible. Then earth embankments were constructed and if that was not enough, acoustic baffles were also built. If there still problems, ASF offered sound insulating the building; while in extreme cases, a building can be bought in order to compensate the owners. After a landscaping competition, the A89 has been engineered to fit well
into its environment. The landscaping included, for example in the section
between Ussel and Le Sancy (exits 23/24 and 25) :
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Accessible as you travel east towards Clermont Ferrand, this aire reflects these connections, with sumptuous interior woodwork and avery well-endowed multimedia display, including a multi-screen show (in French) that alternates between describing Correze and recalling the role of the local resistors against the occupying Germans during World War Two. This display is supported by touch-screen displays showing pictures of local places and a projected map, again with interactivity. The rest of the building is, of course, well-kept and well-appointed. The sculpture (left) seen on the motorway as the aire is approached is a model of the motorway’s shape around this aire, which is in the centre space on the actual road.
Accessible as you travel east towards Clermont Ferrand, this apparently ordinary small aire has a secret: an easy and attractive walk alongside a river and then back through a small deciduous wood. Of course, once through the gate to the riverside, the walker can choose to go either direction, or settle on a seat or the grassy riverbank.
La loutre is French for ‘the otter’. Although you are unlikely to see these shy animals, this river is an ideal home for these handsome amphibians.
This viaduct has been chosen by abelard.org because …
well just look at it:
some facts and figures on the Viaduc de Chavanon
The Sioule viaduct is very close to motorway junction 26, Pontgibaud. From here, above 12 km (8 miles) along the D941 is Vulcania, the highly recommended educational theme park on volcanoes and geology.
some facts and figures on the Viaduc de Sioule
| |||||||||||||||||
|
These two aires are virtually opposite each other, although there is no access between them. However, this does mean whether you are travelling east or west, you can stop at an excellent aire about 36 km from Clermont Ferrand. going east - les Pins aire (and away from Clermont Ferrand)
Les Pins aire may not be one of the largest aires, but it is very substantial. It is also very green, with many trees (not just pines) providing welcome shade in the summer sun. There is a smart, new-looking play area for children and, as so often, some ‘refreshing and cooling showers’. A possibly unexpected sensation at this aire is that it is relatively cool, the result of being about 700 metres (about 2275 feet) above sea level. [Remember that each 1000 metres you go above sea level is equivalent to going back a month in weather terms.]
going west - le Lac aire (and towards Clermont Ferrand)
This aire has two, no, three parts. First there is the treed and grassy area with picnic tables, down the slope from the motorway. Then there is the lake, walled where there is access, and wooded where there is not. finally, up in the woods beside and beyond the lake, there is a walk - for fitness, and for education. There is a variety of trees and some are labelled with large wooden boards, with the tree’s name, as well as more picnic tables. [Note abelard.org’s photos were taken after an unexpected Spring snowfall.
|
|||||||||||||||||
end notes
| |||||||||||||||||
| abstracts | briefings | information | headlines | loud music & hearing damage | children & television violence | what is memory, and intelligence? | about abelard |
|
email abelard at abelard.org © abelard, 2006, 17 july the address for this document is http://www.abelard.org/france/motorway-aires12-a89.php |
Part
of the region of Limousin, the Departement of Correze is the family home
of the Chirac family, the current French president, Jacques Chirac was
born here. His wife Bernadette, is much involved in local politics, having
been a deputy mayor (of Sarran, location of the Chriac Museum) and currently
a member of the departmental council. She also has some local ancestry.
You
may have only left Clermont Ferrand 36 km (22 miles) beforehand, but this
lovely, open and empty aire is well worth a visit. When abelard.org visited,
at 11am in the peak summer season, the aire was very quiet.
