Le Figaro Lyon
Fifteen years after the creation of the banks of the Rhône on the left bank of the river, the right bank will also be entitled to its rehabilitation. The elected ecologists of the city and the metropolis of Lyon presented this Wednesday the project of the landscape architect Base, which has been selected to transform the roads on the Presqu'île de Lyon.
2.5 km of pedestrian promenade
By 2032, 2.5 km of shoreline will be redeveloped with the planting of 1200 trees for a total of 33,000 m2 of vegetated spaces. This rehabilitation will result in the removal of a large part of the current traffic lanes and hopper, near Place Antonin-Poncet to keep only two in the south-north direction and one in the north-south direction. The buses will circulate on two separate lanes on their own site and a cycle path, Lyon lane number 6, will cross the Presqu'île on a dedicated space. In all, 75% of the shoreline will be devoted to pedestrians. All along the way, eleven playgrounds will be created as well as walks along the water's edge, terraces and belvederes to make the most of the Rhône.
Cutting plan of the project before/after Greater Lyon
While traffic issues and access to the center of Lyon are increasingly present in the metropolis, particularly through the creation of a low emission zone (ZFE) and the pedestrianization of the Presqu'île, the acceptability of this project, which will radically change the image of the center of Lyon, does not worry Bruno Bernard, the president of Greater Lyon. "I think Lyon will be fans of this project and that once realized it will be obvious as is the left bank now," he said at a press conference.
Accompanied by the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, he insisted at length on the "continuity" that constitutes this redevelopment with the recent history of Lyon, "from the creation of the banks of the Rhône to the Confluence project", as if to say that it was in the footsteps of the mandates of Gérard Collomb or Raymond Barre. "The creation of the banks on the left bank, which were a huge car park, transformed the way of life of the inhabitants. This right bank project is part of this dynamic and will even accelerate it," continued Grégory Doucet. He added: "This project will be emblematic of this mandate and emblematic for the city. It is part of the great history of Lyon because the right bank was a place to walk in the nineteenth century. It is also a way to adapt the city to the major challenges of the twenty-first century and global warming.
»€100 million
It will still be necessary to wait a little to see the first achievements appear. Design studies for the first section, between the Wilson Bridge and the College footbridge, will begin this year for delivery estimated in 2026, the date of the next municipal election. The rest of the facilities, between the Gallieni and Wilson bridges and between the College footbridge and the Lattre-de-Tassigny bridge, will be delivered during the next mandate, i.e. before 2032. The overall cost of the works is announced at 100 million euros, including 30 million euros for the first phase.