The A154 Motorway Project: An Exclusive Interview with Departmental Councillor Jacques Lemare on the Economic Impact and Future of Eure-et-Loir

A large map in front of him and his file, of about twenty pages learned by heart but which serve him as a reminder, on his left, Jacques Lemare takes off his jacket and sits at his desk at the headquarters of the Departmental Council, at Chartres, with the certainty of answering all the questions of his interlocutor.

As soon as he was elected in June 2021, the 77-year-old Dreux 2 departmental councilor had obtained, among others, from his president, Christophe Le Dorven, the delegation of the A154 file. A first within the departmental institution on such a burning subject, between Nonancourt, north of Dreux, and Allaines, south of Chartres.

What are the nature and interest of the delegation that the President of the Departmental Council entrusted to you regarding the A154?
Christophe le Dorven, President of the Departmental Council, entrusted me with this major dossier, the A154 for the future of the department, upon his election. He wanted to entrust it to an elected official who has the full capacity to work with the State, which ultimately decides on the construction of this motorway, the mode of concession and the future concessionaire. This file has several consequences on our territory: the first is that of providing an infrastructure that will allow the economic development of the department. The second consequence will be visible after the construction of the A154. All roads (RN12, RN154 and all roads around) will become departmental. The alternative routes or the Chartres ring road will fall under the jurisdiction of the Department.

But why is the Department so heavily involved?
Being away from the file or looking at it with a furtive eye, thinking that the State is responsible, will not allow us to support it as effectively as possible. We had to get involved to be with the State and ensure that we do not recover, after the commissioning of the A154, a situation that could cost the Euréliens dearly. All development out of villages or connections should be borne by the concessionaire.

What do you actually do?
I am working on the route with the 40 towns affected by the future A154, including the two towns in the Eure: La Madeleine-de-Nonancourt and Nonancourt. These two municipalities are also members of the Agglo du Pays de Dreux. My mission is to collect as many complaints as possible from all these municipalities. But the mission goes beyond that, because the motorway is necessary to ensure the safety and tranquility of Euréliens. The economic development of our department is at the heart of this commitment of the Departmental Council.

What do you think of the chosen route?
It is an original layout which was wanted by the elected officials. I have been working on this dossier since 1985, when we weren’t yet talking about the A154 but about the development of the RN154. From the outset, I saw the economic interest of this file for our department. Driving trucks, which are not ours and which deteriorate the quality of our roads while making the Euréliens bear the cost of road maintenance, is not an option. It is up to the State to take charge of this and therefore of a motorway infrastructure. This highway must bring us something. And this is where I disagree with the opponents of this project. The future of Eure-et-Loir lies around this major motorway axis which crosses it centrally from north to south. The route could have borrowed campaigns without any attractiveness but the elected officials did not wish it. If the motorway has come as close as possible to the two Eurelian agglomerations, it is to benefit economically.

“The future of our department must
in the long term, be assured. »

What is the economic interest of the future A154 for the department?
First, our own companies will be able to develop better around this important axis and will be able to conquer other markets. Next, investors looking to set up in a territory cannot overlook the advantage of benefiting from a motorway which connects the west of France, from Rouen and Le Havre, to the Centre-Val de Loire and the -of the. History confirms it. Each territory equipped with a motorway in France has experienced significant and sustainable economic development. It is the same consequence as the TGV.

Why did Eure-et-Loir not fight for the TGV?
Eure-et-Loir did not have the TGV because of the elected officials of the time. There was a deliberation, by the General Council at the time, against the TGV station at Arrou, near Châteaudun. It is true that this consumes a few hectares of agricultural land. Instead, the station was made in Vendôme, in the Loir-et-Cher, 23 km further. The TGV crosses our lands and does not stop here.

“Each territory that has been equipped with a motorway in France has experienced economic development. »

How do you prepare to support the A154 project. Will Euréliens be able to benefit from special conditions?
First of all, all our development work on departmental roads is immediately included in the framework of the arrival of this motorway. If we have to reach Nogent-le-Rotrou or Châteaudun from this motorway, Eure-et-Loir will have to have a road system worthy of the name. This file could last 10, 20 or 30 years after the implementation of the A154, and that is nothing on the scale of time. The long-term future of our department must be assured. We are the last link to complete the closure of the third motorway belt around Paris. Concerning the toll, there is an obligation made to the concessionaire: he must make a proposal for a preferential rate through subscriptions. That said, it is not the expenditure of the Euréliens which will finance this motorway which will be profitable thanks to the 15 to 20,000 trucks which will drive daily on this axis.

How will the billion euros of work on this nearly 100 km project be financed?
From the start, the State said that it would provide 30 million euros in subsidies, but not a penny more. This means that the highway was going to be conceded. I remind you that the State will collect 200 million euros in VAT on this site. This means that the State does not want to assume the redevelopment of the RN154 and a motorway concession is needed for that. In 2021, Christophe Le Dorven spoke about it to Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Delpharm, in Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre, to speed up the State’s decision on this file. Jean Castex, by visiting the Guerlain site, was committed in the same direction as the President of the Republic. Work should begin in 2026 for delivery in 2030.

Will Eurelian farmers adapt to this reality in preparation?
The prefect of Eure-et-Loir, Françoise Souliman, brought together representatives of the local agricultural world and elected representatives of the chamber of agriculture two months ago. I took part in this meeting. She assured them that no farm should suffer from the arrival of the highway. The Departmental Council will carry out, during this year, a dozen operations to regroup 70,000 hectares of land. It is considerable! The farmers we meet are in favor of these consolidations, because it will cost them nothing. The cost is borne by the dealer. We have 3,300 farmers in Eure-et-Loir, compared to 7,000 20 years ago. As they expand, some farms extend their scope over two or even five municipalities.