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A75 autoroute

The A75 is an autoroute (motorway) in France.

Known also as la Méridienne, it is a developmental project aiming to speed up, and reduce the cost of car travel from Paris to the south of France. Apart from the Millau Viaduct, it is free for the entire between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. It was not due to be finished until spring 2011, but was fully opened in December 2010. South of St. Flour there are views of the Garabit viaduct.

A large portion of the A75 is also part of the European route E11.

Engineering achievements

The building of a motorway across the Massif Central, in itself, poses engineering challenges. Much of the motorway runs at an altitude in excess of with in excess of .

The greatest engineering challenge was the Millau Viaduct, which carries the road over the Tarn. It was constructed under a government contract with the Eiffage group, effective for 75 years. Eiffage collects tolls at agreed rates making this the only tolled part of the A75.

South of the Millau Viaduct in the Pégairolles-de-l'Escalette commune, the road descends from the Larzac Plateau into the Lergue river valley, losing several hundred meters in altitude in a short distance. Including the Tunnel de Pas d'Escalette, the relatively tight and twisty nature of the motorway at this point means that lower variable speed limits are imposed over this stretch of road.

Other features include: Viaducts and bridges

  • Viaduc de la Violette, long, between junctions 21 & 22
  • Pont sur la Truyère, long, between junctions 30 and 31
  • Viaduc du Piou, long, between junctions 38 and 39
  • Viaduc du Ricoulong, long, between junctions 38 and 39
  • Viaduc de la Planchette, long, between junctions 38 and 39
  • Viaduc de Verrières, long, between junctions 44 and 44.1
  • Viaduc de la Garrigue, long, between junctions 44.1 and 42
  • Viaduc de Millau, long, between junctions 45 and 46

Passes

  • between junctions 24 and 25
  • Col de la Fageole, , between junctions 26 and 27
  • Col des Issartets, , the highest point on the A75, between junctions 36 and 37
  • Col de la Fagette, , between junctions 40 and 41
  • Col d'Engayresque, , between junctions 44 and 44.1

Tunnels

  • Tunnel de Montjezieu, , long at an altitude of , between junctions 39.1 and 40
  • Tunnel de Pas d'Escalette, southbound, northbound, between junctions 50 and 51
  • Tunnel de la Vierge, , between junctions 52 and 53

The route