As a simple reminder, this apparently 40-year-old project was stopped in its tracks in 2021 by decision of the departmental council, due to the significant compensation necessary for the destruction of the wetlands crossed.
Since the association for 2X2 lanes has made a lot of noise for a development partly in two two lanes, partly in expressway, while the speed is limited to 80 kmh.
Those responsible have moved heaven and earth to make their dream of artificialization and waterproofing a reality by rallying a number of elected officials, including the MP, via the government.
While the departmental council is studying ways to improve this section on the existing one, at lower cost, especially in these times of financial scarcity for the State faced with an abysmal debt.
It is true that the new government must absorb this debt, and therefore curb spending, while promising a simplification of the rules, but this requires not doing or letting anything be done.
Each time it is a question of public expenditure coming from the tax windfall supplemented by the taxable and corvéable taxpayer.
Hard dilemma to resolve, and this project cannot be considered of major public interest (any more than the A 69 which was rightly put forward by the public rapporteur of the administrative court for this route while awaiting the decision of the said court).
However, on this axis whose traffic tends to decrease (see previous articles), it turns out that recently eight local associations (see the Ouest France article of November 25, 2024) are proposing two sketches of alternative routes:
– One starting from the Bréhal diversion towards the intermarché roundabout.
This route starts from the Saigue valley and goes up to the Croissant plateau, with parts in the Agricultural zone, others in the N zone, but above all with the presence of a wetland in the lower part, and especially bocage hedges. .
– the other proposing a short bypass of the hamlet of La Havaudière from the crossroads of the D 973 and the D 154 (with the creation of a roundabout) to the new roundabout at the crossroads of the D 973 and the D 109 .
This section crosses agricultural and natural areas in the same way, with significant afforestation, hedgerows and a wetland in the Thar valley.
A work of art will be necessary to cross the Thar.
Several observations:
– Why are environmental associations suddenly proposing these two alternative routes, when until now they were advocating the improvement of the D 973 on the existing one, in particular with the creation of a third doubling lane in order to reduce traffic jams?
Proposing to artificialize agricultural or natural land, therefore to waterproof it, is in the current period completely surreal with a difficult application of the Climate and Resilience law and subsequent texts?
It also causes a breakdown in biodiversity in both sectors with the destruction of fauna and flora and of course protected species.
– Concerning the Havaudière bypass section, the most impacted farm is that of Guigeois.
A year ago, with the help of SAFER, this pig farm bought 47 ha of agricultural land in Lucerne d'Outremer from a dairy producer retiring but keeping her buildings. This transaction took place at a price higher than that charged in the sector.
What do you think happened to the meadows of this former dairy farm? They were immediately turned over, plowed, spread with pig manure and sown with corn. Apparently no hedge seems to have been affected!
The opposite of what should be practiced in this period of weather changes due to global warming.
– The environmental impact of these two routes is inevitable, so why this proposal?
Environmental associations still looking for funds have suddenly obtained financial support from construction companies?
No more jokes, it is up to the departmental council to propose a peaceful development of the current route, if possible without consuming additional agricultural, natural or forestry space.
This new project will have to be the subject of an environmental impact study, a public inquiry subject to public comments
Attached is the list of 8 associations having signed the letter to elected officials.
Let's act for the GTM climate,
South Channel train collective,
Friends of Anse de Hérel,
Manche Nature
Peasant Houses of France Lower Normandy
For the Promotion of the Ports of Granville APPG
A future with the Saint-Pairais
Life and Memory of Old Granville
Additional text from my friend Jean-Marc Santier from the Pays de Granville Citizen Collective
Some associations, among the 8, signed for bypasses to the Croissant and Havaudière of the RD 973, although previously, they were in solidarity with the national collective “The Rout of the Roads” created in July 2022 whose objective was clear: “Stop the concreting of agricultural and natural land” A nice turnaround from these associations that claim to act for the climate
Other associations are clearly outside their statutes. What is coming to do “Peasant Houses of France Lower Normandy” in this mess?
How in this case can we give credence to their petition?
The number one argument of those who want to go beyond improving the existing situation as proposed by the Departmental Council, is that this RD 973 would be bottled with traffic jams everywhere. In short, the hassle
You should read our article from October 5, 2024:
Granville-Avranches Demonstration for a 2×2 expressway VROUM VROUM https://citoyensgranville.blogspot.com/2024/10/granville-avranches-manifestation-pour.html
We develop that the figures put forward by the collective organizing the October 5 demonstration on the CCI roundabout are false
According to him, 20,000 vehicles use this axis ( RD 973) every day.
However, according to the prefecture, it is between 10,000 and 12,000 per day on average depending on the sector, and that changes everything about the so-called use of this departmental road. Figures for 2024.
Concerning Havaudière, commune of Saint-Pierre-Langers, why a bypass since in this hamlet of around twenty houses, there are never traffic jams or slowdowns.
Why not then bypasses at Jullouville, Donville, Quettreville sur Sienne, Beauchamp, Fleury etc, etc. Of course, we have to put ourselves in the place of local residents who can no longer stand the noise of cars or the pollution released by cars. But this is the lot of thousands and thousands of people in our country and all over the world.
Indeed, at the Croissant de Saint Pair sur Mer, it happens that there is a bit of traffic jam in summer, almost always on Wednesdays because that day is the opening of the big Emmaüs unpacking (perhaps it's okay change name). Is that enough to justify a large, harmful and unnecessary bypass?
Coming back to the Rout of the Roads, according to this coalition, behind this frenzy of construction of roundabouts, new roads, motorways, ring roads, we have very influential lobbies. Consequence: large unnecessary projects are multiplying, which is emptying the coffers of the state and communities.
We must remember the Marcey les Grèves bypass inaugurated in September 2019, which can be considered as an ecocide at a staggering cost of €35 million and 74 hectares less for agriculture. Who could doubt given the configuration of this 4 lane which extends the road between Avranches and Granville by at least 6 KMS that its use by motorists would be practically zero.
To read: https://citoyensgranville.blogspot.com/2021/03/avranches-granville-contournement-de.html
Enlarge image: Figure 1
