A 3 km section between Wolfisheim and the Hautepierre district (Bas-Rhin) was inaugurated this Tuesday, November 12 after 20 months of work. It has been designed to allow buses to circulate on a separate lane on a third lane in both directions of traffic. The objective is to encourage motorists who go to Strasbourg to give up their car in order to go faster.
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The construction site signs gradually disappeared at the end of last week. Workers cleaned, swept and final traffic tests took place. Everything must be ready for the inauguration of these 3 km of road between the Wolfisheim interchange and the Hautepierre thermal power station at the western entrance to Strasbourg. The opening to the public takes place the next day, this Wednesday, November 13.
The work enabled the creation of a third lane of traffic in both directions, strictly reserved for public transport (VRTC). From November 13, intercity buses from the Fluo Grand Est 67 network will be able to use them daily. These are lines 230, but also 205, 209, 220 and 240. The advantage for users coming from Wasselonne or Scharrachbergheim is that “coaches will go faster than cars“, assured France 3 Alain Jund, vice-president of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, in charge of mobility, transport and travel, before the start of the work. 200 coaches will serve these lines.
Pia Imbs, president of the Eurométropole explains. “It's a mobility offer, express coaches, timed. These 4 bus lines will irrigate the entire west of the Eurometropolis, from Wasselonne to Place des Halles or Éluard station from where you can directly take the tram D. The west has a great demographic development, it was necessary we start from the principle that if the offer is interesting, frequent and less expensive than the car, users will take these buses mainly to avoid entering. Strasbourg to get out, for those who work for example at the Hautepierre University Hospital.”
The new feature, and this is a first in France, is the possibility that coach drivers will have to stop on the M351 to let users off. Platforms were built on this 2×2 lane. They will allow people to very easily reach the Paul Eluard tram station, on line D, as we have said. Travelers will thus be able to get to the center of Strasbourg or to the Hautepierre hospital much more quickly.
The project cost approximately 36 million euros. It completes the developments already carried out since 2012 on the Wasselonne Ittenheim Strasbourg axis, along the D1004. Transport on its own site in western Strasbourg (TSPO), this is the name of the project, aims to make up for the absence of a regional TER rail service in this sector. And to reduce daily traffic jams on this axis by offering an alternative to all automobiles.
There remains the last part of the TSPO until the terminus at Place des Halles, located in the center of Strasbourg. Development work should begin in 2025, at the same time as that planned to modernize the bus station which will remain behind the Les Halles shopping center.
