PublishedSeptember 19, 2022, 9:46 PM
VaudYverdon-Lausanne: a 3rd traffic lane will be created on the A1
By 2030, the current hard shoulder between Chavornay and Cossonay will become a permanent traffic lane. A first in French-speaking Switzerland.
Maintenance work will also be carried out on the Chêne viaduct, located on the A1 before leaving Chavornay.
VQH/Jean-Paul Guinnard
On the A1 motorway between the Chavornay exit and the Cossonay exit, in the Yverdon-Lausanne direction, the current hard shoulder (BAU) will become a traffic lane by 2030. First in French-speaking Switzerland , this third runway will be permanent, unlike the one located between Morges and Ecublens, which is only open in the event of heavy traffic.
“We are not widening the motorway, but we are adapting the infrastructure so that heavy goods vehicles can circulate, explains Olivier Floc’hic, spokesman for the Federal Roads Office (OFROU). In the event of an accident, this third lane will no longer be usable. But, when possible, setbacks will be planned. Significant notice to users, the speed will be lowered to 100 km / h, or even 80, instead of the current 120. And traffic will be on three or four narrow lanes during the day and two-way at night.
Long-term works
The redevelopment work will be done in stages, following being put to the survey. Starting with the reassignment of the BAU between Chavornay and La Sarraz/Oulens in 2026-2028. FEDRO has two years to settle the objections, then two more to finalize the work. The Coudray viaduct, which is currently 520 meters long and is located just following the Bavois roadhouse, in the direction of Lausanne, will have to be widened. The development of the BAU will continue between La Sarraz and Cossonay in 2030, and between Essert-Pittet and Chavornay in 2032.
Total cost not yet disclosed
The total cost of the project will be “several tens of millions of francs”, indicates Olivier Floc’hic. But, as this may be subject to change, the exact figure will be articulated “when the works project is awarded”.
The first stage of this A1 redevelopment project begins on Friday, with the investigation of the overall sanitation of the Oulens-Essert-Pittet section. The goal: to make traffic more fluid while respecting the environment as much as possible and protecting residents from noise.
The installation of a sound-absorbing coating on the A1, built in the early 1980s, will make it possible to comply with the noise limit values. “FEDRO warned the local residents concerned that it was not going to install noise barriers, because the ratio between noise reduction and cost was not “economically bearable”, raises a local resident. The Federal Office confirms that the costs incurred would be too high compared to the benefit to be derived.
