Last Thursday, Christian Estrosi laid the first stone for the extension of the René Coty bridge over the Paillon. In the presence of Eric Ciotti, president of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes, the mayor of Nice discussed the extension work of the tramway line 1.
The 91.5 meters of the future René Coty bridge, whose first stone was laid by Christian Estrosi this afternoon, are part of the 450-meter extension of tramway line 1. This extension will connect the current terminus at Pont-Michel to the Pasteur district on the other side of the Paillon.
This operation will unfold in several phases:
The diversion of networks works, which began on June 20, 2011, are expected to be completed by the end of the month. The aim is to divert cables and pipelines located under the future tramway platform.
The widening of the René Coty Bridge to accommodate the tramway. This work, which began last December, is expected to last 10 months.
The platform and development work will focus on equipping the area where the tramway will run, with the installation of bike lanes and tree planting. These works will follow different orders depending on the sectors. Between Pont Michel and the René Coty bridge, the tramway platform will be constructed before the urban developments. The reverse order will occur between the René Coty bridge and the Lentulo square. This work, starting in April 2012, is expected to last 8 months.
Finally, the equipment will undergo full-scale testing for 5 months. The service is scheduled to start in spring 2013.
For the Nice city hall, this operation, costing 23.9 million euros (including 3 million from the European Union), presents a dual benefit: serving the Pasteur district, identified as a “Sensitive Urban Zone,” and linking the new facilities in the Pasteur district. According to forecasts, 5,000 people will use this new service daily, increasing the daily ridership of tramway line 1 to 105,000 passengers in 2013.
