New roads are to be built in the Dordogne in 2010 and an existing bypass around Bergerac is to finally be finished.

Sudouest.com reports that roadworks and construction in the Dordogne are a source of much debate in the dèpartement. As one of the most extensive dèpartments in France and with its hilly terrain and scattered settlements, the Dordogne is more likely to have winding country roads than unobstructed dual carriageways. It took forty years of lobbying to get approval for the A89 motorway, which crosses the Dordogne from east to west.

This motorway is the only roadway which is under the responsibility of the national government. After the French government decentralised most of the regional and local planning to departement level, the Dordogne general council was placed in charge of 5,000km of roads.

In 2010, the council is said to be catching up with needed maintenance work on and improvements to the Dordogne’s roads.

“We put 45 million euros a year for the maintenance and modernisation of the network” said Bernard Cazeau, president of the General Council. “It was long overdue that we try to catch up”. Cazeau says that the Dordogne is a region with a lot of interests and roads are not the only concern for investment.

Among the work expected to be finished in 2010 is an extended bypass in the sub-prefecture of Bergerac. This long-awaited project will connect the existing Limoges-Pyrenees motorway to the rest of the country’s north-to-south motorway system. As part of the new western bypass, a new bridge over the Dordogne river will be built and 4km of connecting roads will be built to the north of Bergerac.

However, the largest piece of work for the General Council itself will be the Sarlat bypass. This dual carriageway is estimated at costing around 43 million euros, and the first portion is scheduled to open in July. This will be the southern bypass and will open 3.6km of road between Les Eyzies and the Vitrac road, to the south of Sarlat. The northern bypass will connect Les Eyzies to the Montignac road and may not finish construction by the end of this year, as it is currently during the public enquiry stages of the proposal.

Other sites which will begin work this year include the Rochebeaucourt bypass, the Terrasson crossing and construction of a road link to the Dordogne valley between Bergerac and Sarlat. The Terrasson crossing work has been delayed in the past as it involves building a new bridge over busy railway lines, whilst the Bergerac/Sarlat valley road has reportedly faced many delays due to zoning issues and property disputes.

The Dordogne general council is responsible for 870km of regional transport routes, which see an average of 3,000 vehicles per day.

Related posts:

1. Small town in the Dordogne to go digital for 2010
2. Driving on a French Holiday
3. UK workers beat January blues by booking 2010 holidays at work
4. The Dordogne releases major decisions
5. Dordogne public garden wins second prize for “Garden of the year 2010″

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