A profound transformation of the City of Nice and the urban community of Nice Côte d’Azur has been underway for the past two years. A decision was made to establish a new model of development and urban planning focused on sustainable technologies and green growth by creating an eco-exemplary territory on a European scale around Nice, the ‘Green City of the Mediterranean.’
Eco-Vallée will be primarily developed with public transport, aiming to limit the impact of individual mobility on the environment. This urban development is accompanied by new infrastructures capable of meeting travel needs, especially for the western neighborhoods of the City.
The Nice-Airport Multimodal Exchange Hub
1- The Challenges of the Multimodal Hub
A common agreement among stakeholders, including the State, Regional Council, Department, Urban Community, RFF, SNCF, Airport Company, and CCI, led to the identification of a strategic hub between the coast and the Var Valley, on the East/West axis, a connection node for all transportation infrastructures.
A study allowed, in agreement with partners, to determine a sizing of the hub based on 10 million passengers/year in 2023, with a projection of 17 million passengers/year in 2030. This facility will play a major and structuring role for the OIN and, of course, for the Nice Côte d’Azur metropolis. It is the first and main link in a real network of multimodal hubs that will punctuate the Eco-Vallée in service of sustainable mobility. It is of primary importance for the future Grand Arénas district (an international business hub), especially for the exhibition park project which will thus benefit from a nearly unique position in Europe, in proximity to France’s second airport and at the heart of the azure destination.
Four main challenges have been identified:
– A transportation challenge for an efficient connectivity of different modes of transport. It is mainly a “passenger” hub aimed at connecting all transportation means: airport, train lines including TER, tramway, buses, coaches, taxis, soft modes, and later the LGV;
– A strong urban planning challenge with the necessity to create links between surrounding districts and other major facilities of the lower Var Valley;
– An economic challenge with the creation of a real business district and the realization of the exhibition and convention center, which, with this hub, will be a major economic lever for the territory;
– An innovation challenge within the Eco-city approach in terms of design, operation, and management.
2 – The Program and Schedule
The program proposes a developability of about 70,000 m², including approximately 11,000 m² for transport facilities based on the following:
An organization on a North-South axis on either side of the railway, linking the airport to the road to Grenoble, around a structuring public space, allowing them to be interconnected in a peaceful urban approach. Urban project management studies will be initiated at the beginning of 2011. They will focus notably on the design missions, the preliminary project, and the project related to the realization of the hub’s infrastructures. Construction is planned to start in 2013 if funding is secured.
2016: delivery of the hub including all transportation functionalities in connection with the commissioning of the East-West tramway line.
Around 2023: integration of the LGV.
3 – The Multimodal hub: a Structuring Element of the Eco-city
The southern perimeter of the O.I.N., in the territory of the Nice Côte d’Azur urban community, has been selected by the Ministry of Sustainable Development to join the Eco-cities initiative alongside twelve other major urban development operations. They will have access to the “City of Tomorrow” fund for future investments to support innovative actions deployed in the Eco-cities perimeter.
In this context, the Nice-Airport multimodal hub positions itself as a very high level of innovation equipment serving users for sustainable and optimized mobility.
Liaison between Pierre Mathis Road and the A8 Motorway
Pierre Mathis Road was opened to traffic on February 16, 2007. All traffic studies conducted showed that upon Grinda’s exit, we would quickly reach saturation, and the Saint Augustin intersection would soon become clogged.
What did the previous municipality do?
A first resolution was passed on September 15, 2006, modified on March 16, 2007. This last resolution initiated public consultation on the need to create a facility to avoid the GRINDA and ST AUGUSTIN intersections. The consultation took place from April 16 to June 1, 2007. A public meeting was held on May 14, 2007, simply presenting the principles of connecting Pierre Mathis Road to Highway A8. Two solutions were proposed:
Solution 1: with a mini-tunnel connecting the north roadway to the south roadway of Pierre Mathis Road and a mini-tunnel connecting Cassin Boulevard to Pompidou Boulevard.
Solution 2: direct tunnel between the exit of Pierre Mathis Road and Grenoble road.
The consultation register collected 72 opinions:
– 34 favorable to Solution 1
– 32 favorable to Solution 2
– 8 irrelevant opinions.
The previous municipal team did not follow up on this consultation.
Actions taken by the current municipality
Initial site visits. As early as July 2008: first letter to the office of Jean-Louis Borloo to request the construction of a one-way tunnel connecting Mathis Road to the A8 over a length of 1550 m. Second letter to Jean-Louis Borloo on December 31, 2008, proposing the integration of the project in the concession contract linking ESCOTA to the State. Response from Jean-Louis Borloo on July 20, 2009, requesting the State Council’s seizure.
2010, negative response from the State Council, which ultimately considered that, in the contractual framework binding the STATE to ESCOTA, it was not possible for the latter to execute this tunnel.
Aware of the project’s priority nature, a proposal was immediately made to the Community Council to launch studies for a link between the western exit of Pierre Mathis Road and the Var Valley, the A8, and the Arénas-Airport district.
At the same time, a reflection was initiated on implementing studies to improve the living environment of residents on Grinda Avenue and Grenoble Road (acoustic studies are underway). Given the current projected multimodal project, Solution 1 presented is no longer feasible. Indeed, with current traffic flows, this solution would bring 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day westward and about 20,000 vehicles per day eastward in front of the multimodal hub on René CASSIN Boulevard. Moreover, given the tram project’s route, it would be cut twice by this project.
Only the direct link between Pierre Mathis Road and Grenoble road remains feasible. Currently, studies are ongoing. The first studies for this new structure were presented to the National Tunnel Studies Center (CETU) in Lyon. These studies validate the principle of a double-lane tunnel in the Nice-to-Grenoble direction that will accommodate all vehicle sizes. Operational studies are underway.
