It was in front of an engaged audience that the first public consultation meeting took place to choose the route for Line 2 of the tramway.
The first proposed route, “Promenade des Anglais,” was clearly promoted by Christian Estrosi and his team, along with Eric Ciotti, President of the General Council. Ciotti exclaimed, “The tramway is not something to hide; it’s a modern element, we need to showcase it.”
The completion of Line 2 via the Promenade is estimated to take two and a half years of construction, at a cost of 315 million euros. The power supply would be provided from the ground, along the central reservation. The tramway would thus make its way at the feet of the famous palm trees. Two traffic lanes would be maintained for cars on either side of the central reservation, both during and after the works. Christian Estrosi guarantees the absence of inconveniences for more than 6 months on the same section and plans targeted cultural events to create attractiveness despite the construction.
The second proposed route, “Heart of the City,” also has its supporters, including Jacques Peyrat, former mayor of Nice, who was present at this first consultation meeting. This project is estimated at 365 million euros, with a construction duration of four and a half years.
Almost double the time, according to Christian Estrosi, due to the necessary diversions of sewage, gas, electricity, and drinking water networks. This route would pass through Californie, Buffa, Dante, Liberté, Hôtel des Postes, returning via Pastorelli-Joffre.
1 tramway = 3 buses = 180 cars
Whatever the final choice, the East-West Line 2 could transport 110,000 passengers per day [currently, 75,000 users use Line 1 daily – ed.]. This would encourage many users to reconsider their use of personal vehicles. To assist them, 3,000 parking spaces are planned in the future Saint-Augustin relay park, at the site of the current MIN.
For Deputy Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, the transport projects do not stop there. According to him, the Alpes-Maritimes is the only department in France to offer public transport for 1 €. A reminder that allowed him to announce an upcoming harmonization of the network, centered around an “orange azur card.” Negotiations are also underway to create direct access between the Mathis tunnel and the motorway. A project that would be financed by the highway company Escota.
