Thursday March 10th, 2016
Although L2 Marseille bypass project has existed since 1930, it is only coming to light now thanks to the Société de la Rocade L2 comprised of Bouygues Construction, Colas Midi-Méditerranée, Spie Batignolles, Egis, Meridiam Infrastructure and CDC Infrastructure. This is a real challenge as several obstacles have had to be overcome for this site, which should […]
Although L2 Marseille bypass project has existed since 1930, it is only coming to light now thanks to the Société de la Rocade L2 comprised of Bouygues Construction, Colas Midi-Méditerranée, Spie Batignolles, Egis, Meridiam Infrastructure and CDC Infrastructure. This is a real challenge as several obstacles have had to be overcome for this site, which should be completed by the end of 2017. The public-private partnership contract was signed between the State and the Société de la Rocade L2 in Marseille two years ago. So what progress has been made?
The project
The L2 bypass is a monumental site for Marseille. The idea originated in the 1930s and the first sods were turned 25 years ago. To say the bypass is much-anticipated would be an understatement! What is the aim? To improve traffic flow in the north-east side of the city by developing soft modes of transport in particular. Over 95,000 vehicles are expected per day as soon as it opens. Moving works and civil engineering are still in progress across the entire north section of the site. Road surfacing and installing equipment has commenced on the east side. 80% of the major structural works were already completed on the east section.
The bypass will combine two complimentary functions: a by-pass of Marseille and inter-district access which required major cooperation with the district committees.
The particularity of the L2 bypass is its location in dense urban areas north of Marseille. The challenge is to limit the impact of the project on the daily lives of residents and to meet new ecological construction standards. Sound levels and air quality are highly monitored, especially as over half of the road is covered.
What’s more, the group has committed to an energy consumption limit for the entire duration of the project. This is why there are led lights in the tunnels, a first for a project of this scale in France. To reduce greenhouse gases from congestion, modular light signalling will ensure effective speed regulation, which will go from 90 to 70 or 50km/h depending on traffic.
Getting people involvedAn employment platform centralising all on-site jobs was set up in one of the two project presentation houses. The platform is supported by Pôle Emploi, local employment initiatives, the local employment and integration project and the Building and Civil Works federation. This initiative has meant that 15 formwork contracts have been signed already.
Improving working conditions on sites with a system combining robotics and virtual reality. This is far from a fairy tale - this research and development programme will come into effect in 2020. The aim is to train employees to pick up the right habits, via a process that is both visual and tactile.
A few weeks after school terms have begun, it's time for students to go back to university. Perhaps you weren't aware of it, but Bouygues Construction has built and renovated many universities, providing, in its own way, greater access to knowledge.
YHNOVA, a social housing unit built using BatiPrint3D™, an innovative 3D printing technique, was opened on 21 March in Nantes. This Bouygues Construction R&D project is part of an experimental construction site run by Bouygues Bâtiment Grand Ouest.
A key player in urban planning, Bouygues Construction is interested in the new practices that will be implemented in the cities of the future.
On 13 September 2017, the Canadian government inaugurated the new international airport of Iqaluit, located in the Nunavut territory. Explore this truly unique project, which was built in extreme weather conditions despite the logistical challenges that this polar desert poses.
Leader of prestressing and cable-stayed systems, VSL has very specific expertise which enables it to contribute to some of the most prestigious and complex concrete structures in the world.
Operating in Morroco since 1978, Bouygues Construction won a new landmark project in Casablanca, the economic and business center of the country. Casablanca Finance City Authority, the corporate structure leading the development of Casablanca’s new business district, awarded to Bymaro the contract to build its new head office, 122-metre high skyscraper. Designed by Morphosis Architects, […]
Bouygues Construction and Centrale Lille formed Chaire Construction 4.0 in 2017, to support the digitalisation and industrialisation of the sector. We met with PhD student Andry Zaïd Rabenantoandro, whose thesis is on 3D printing in construction.
"This is the first time in 30 years I've seen something that will truly change the way we build", say site workers. Designed in 2015 by Augustin Masurel, who at the time was a works superintendent with Bouygues Construction, Smart Cast represents a minor revolution in the construction industry.
