Overview of investment
A150 is an 18-kilometer motorway in Normandy, France. The project covers the design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of the road, including a 476-meter flyover and a toll plaza containing an operations centre. It connects the regional capital of Rouen with the A29 running through to the port city of Le Havre.
Public benefits:
- Tackling congestion
- Catalysing local economic development
- Avoiding emissions and noise
- Status
- Road Transportation
- Investment date
- May 2018
- Fund
- DIF V
- DIF ownership stake
- 67%
15
11
€458,243
ESG impacts
The A150 is part of France’s renewed efforts to drive a modern road revolution, building safer roads that reduce overall carbon footprints from transport and foster high standards of highway maintenance.
Trucks are currently responsible for 23% of the EU’s C02 emissions from road transport, and by providing an alternative route between Rouen and Le Havre the A150 significantly cuts journey times and total emissions, especially from heavy vehicles. Data shows that, on average, 9,000 light vehicles (mostly cars) and 750 heavy vehicles (mostly trucks) utilise this more efficient route each day. A150 is one of the few toll roads in France incentivising less polluting heavy vehicles with lower tolls.
The road’s operations centre has been optimised for energy-efficiency and the project monitors energy consumption and water use at the toll lanes with the aim of reducing both. It also enables slower vehicles (30km/hour limit) to avoid stopping at the toll gate helping lower emissions. The project team has also introduced a tree planting programme focused on replenishing wildlife habitats along the road.
By providing a faster route, with less congestion, the project is creating safer journeys both for inter-city travellers and for people travelling locally. In particular it has removed large numbers of trucks from passing through local community villages. The road is also partially buried in order to reduce noise levels and uses absorbent noise barriers to reduce noise pollution in places such as the Austreberthe Viaduct where digging deeper was not possible.
Sustainability remains at the heart of current and future operations of the road. During the Covid-19 pandemic the project refunded toll costs to healthcare workers using the road, and the project team are currently planning to replace road pavements with recyclable materials.
“The road has improved safety by taking trucks, traffic and air pollution out of local villages and has massively reduced journey times along the north of the Seine. We remain dedicated to being active players as France transitions to Net Zero transport systems.”
Aymeric Piquet-Gauthier,
Senior Director, DIF Capital Partners
