The Belvedere is getting a makeover. Located in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), at the foot of the Île de Ré bridge, this site currently consists of free parking, a public transport stop, a bicycle rental company and a restaurant. All right next to the toll station. This is the meeting point for carpooling, crossing the bridge by shuttle or small queen. “But it is in poor condition, our objective is to transform it into a suitable multimodal exchange hub, with better clarity of public transport”, comments Patrice Raffarin, departmental councilor and mayor of Rivedoux-Plage, the first commune in Relais after the bridge. .
The Charente-Maritime department is investing 6 million euros including tax for this project, financed by revenue from the bridge. “It is not the ecotax, which is dedicated to the environment, but the fee for services rendered,” specifies the elected official. The first phase of work begins on December 2 and will end in June 2025, with the construction site interrupted during the summer season. The requalification of this three-hectare site begins with the development of a relief car park, offering a total of 645 parking spaces.
Equipment dedicated to the exchange hub will be put in place: platforms, passenger shelters, toilets, secure bicycle storage, terminals for electric vehicles, etc. The route of the RD21 will be moved to make way for a pedestrian and cycle path along the coast, with benches and picnic tables, 350 trees must be planted. “The objective is to make it a pleasant, functional place, which makes you want to leave your vehicle there and use the alternative means offered. Everything will be done to cross the bridge other than by car,” adds Patrice Raffarin, convinced of the need to relieve car traffic on the Ile de Ré.
The chief magistrate sees the percentage of use of the bridge shuttles increasing from year to year. “But we still have a lot of room for improvement,” he believes. This vast project in three phases (December 2024-June 2025, September 2025-June 2026, September 2026-June 2027) will end in June 2027 with the redevelopment of the toll station car park. “The objective is to gain fluidity,” underlines the elected official. During the work, the access road to the Belvédère site will be closed (RD 21) and the stop of the regional bus line will be transferred to the toll car park side.
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