The Customs Parking is certainly a highly anticipated facility by users, residents, and professionals at the Port of Nice. Following the development work on the lateral upper docks, in preparation for the future terminal station of tram line 2, which will arrive at Quai Cassini (with service expected to start at the end of 2016), this project is a new step in the renewal of the Port of Nice.
“In January 2007, the County Council became the owner and affirmed its intention to make it a place of proximity, openness, and conviviality, capable of playing a predominant role at the heart of the city,” stated Eric Ciotti, president of the County Council of Alpes-Maritimes.
“This reorganization will allow the creation of a multi-activity area for the port, integrating its pre-boarding zone, the underground parking to free up outdoor spaces and offer better traffic flow for both pedestrians and motorists,” adds Bernard Kleynhoff, president of the Nice Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is the managing delegate of the 8 ports in the department.
To conclude: “Our goal is to make the Customs Quay an integrated, pleasant, and secure walkway. This redevelopment project will reinvigorate the port district by restoring its functional, qualitative, and symbolic importance to a place steeped in history.”
The occasion allowed Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, to recall the driving and strategic role of the Port of Nice, whose operations are developed around four activities:
- Passenger traffic to Corsica (over 800,000 passengers and 265,000 vehicles annually)
- Cruising (more than 180 stops per year)
- Large yachts and pleasure boating (over 80,000 overnight stays, 503 berths at the quay including 153 visitor spots for vessels up to 180 meters in length)
- Cement traffic (first port in France with more than 300,000 tons per year)
