what is this project that managed the feat of seeing the light of day despite 10 unfavorable opinions?

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Last week, the commission of inquiry issued an unfavorable opinion concerning the northern tram project in Strasbourg.

In the process, the Eurometropolis announced its intention to rework the project with a view to submitting it again for public inquiry.

A choice “all to the honor of the community”, underlines Bruno Dalpra who, for years, opposed a completely different project, the Grand Western Bypass (GCO) of Strasbourg, which was able to succeed despite three public inquiries to unfavorable conclusions.

Two public inquiries in 2018, a third in 2022

The first took place in 2018. “She had been split in two », recalls Mr. Dalpra, before developing: “A first concerned the aspect of Sanefand the other on that of Vinciwhich represents 90% of the route.

“A complementary public inquiry into the Vinci part was carried out in 2022, following the decision of the administrative court of 2021 [lequel demandait justement la réalisation d’une nouvelle étude d’impact avec une enquête publique, NDLR]», continues the specialist in this file.

As said above, these three public inquiries all gave rise to unfavorable reviews.

In total, 10 unfavorable opinions received

More broadly, if we take into account the opinions given by the National Council for Nature Protection (CNPN)an institution attached to the Ministry of Ecological Transition andEnvironmental Authority (Ae)an independent entity, then the GCO received in all… ten unfavorable opinions !

How can we explain, then, that it was able to be completed and inaugurated on December 17, 2021?

“The State could not afford for the GCO not to take place”

According to Bruno Dalpra, to obtain part of the answer, we must put in the context of the times.

“In 2018, the Notre-Dame-des-Landes project was abandoned, it was already a project signed by Vinci. The same year, the State abandoned the motorway project between Lyon and Saint-Etiennethe A45, for which Vinci was also the expected concessionaire,” recalls Bruno Dalpra.

“The State could not afford for the GCO not to take place,” believes the latter, while specifying that this is one possible interpretation among others.

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