Pedestrianization: the new life of Croix-Baragnon and Boulbonne streets completely redone

It was a construction site within a construction site. Connected to rue de Metz, rue Croix-Baragnon and rue Boulbonne have also been renovated. But, while the pedestrianized Rue de Metz will not be completed until the end of May 2025, the two neighboring streets, in the heart of the chic shopping district, are finished. And inaugurated. This Wednesday, at the end of the day, surrounded by several elected officials and in the presence of local residents and traders, Jean-Luc Moudenc, the mayor, cut the ribbon before walking up the 300 meters of the renovated Rue Croix-Baragnon. Paved with porphyry, widened thanks to the elimination of parking, returned to pedestrians, this artery is transformed, as were the streets Pargaminières, des Lois, Gambetta…

But perhaps more than the others it shows the Toulouse identity of pink brick. With this specificity: a unique perspective on Saint-Etienne Cathedral.

Signs torn down

“It’s very pretty and much more pleasant,” rejoices Ariane Nodé-Langlois who, thanks to the benches, even finds a “bit of a village” feel to Place Saint-Etienne. The co-manager of Anahita, a women’s ready-to-wear store, is only waiting for one thing: “for people to return to the city center.”

In the meantime, deplores Grégory Baron, boss of Maître Couture, bad habits have been adopted: trucks and cars which park “anywhere”, sometimes stuck to storefronts, even tearing down signs as they pass by, as is the case with him. arrived. Jean-Paul, a resident of Place Saint-Etienne, who appreciates the new aesthetic of the street, is waiting for a little tolerance to be able to park at the foot of his apartment just long enough to pick up his shopping.

At the conclusion of his speech, Laurence Katzenmayer, neighborhood mayor, regretted “the sometimes discouraging incivility”. A terminal in principle regulates access to rue Croix-Baragnon. In mid-2025, another will be installed at the entrance to rue du Canard. And pots for shrubs, of the same model as that of the Place du Capitole, will be installed in the first part of the street, up to rue des Arts.

“I wanted to shine a spotlight on rue Croix-Baragnon and rue Boulbonne,” underlined Jean-Luc Moudenc to explain why he had not waited for the work on rue de Metz to be completed. The mayor cited the other renovations undertaken nearby, such as the Saint-Anne chapel and courtyard and the Augustins museum, to conclude on the arrival at the end of 2028 of line C to François-Verdier. Line C, “promise of attractiveness” for businesses, for which he gave “an appointment” to Toulouse residents.