Toll reduction for A69 motorway in south-west France rejected

A planned 33% toll reduction on a section of the new A69 motorway has been rejected by France’s Council of State.

It was planned that tolls on certain sections of the road would be reduced by 33% following an agreement between motorway operator Atosca and government authorities. 

The Conseil d’Etat however rejected the plans.

While the government does not have to heed the council’s opinion, which is merely advisory, it rarely disregards it in such matters.

Full figures are not yet available, but local media suggest a full single journey on the road will cost around €8 for a standard vehicle

It is the latest in the history of France’s newest and most controversial motorway, which is set to open in October between Castres and Toulouse. 

The motorway is set to use booth-free flux libre motorway tolls.

Protests from locals

The planned reduction in toll rates resulted from protests over the projected costs, with locals saying it was unfair to have to pay tolls on a section of previously free road and already being funded through taxpayers.

In turn, a 33% reduction on tolls on the eastern half of the new motorway, including the Soual and Puylaurens bypasses, was agreed. It would have covered 31km of the 53km route.

It was proposed that the reduction would last for 10 years, before then dropping to 15%.

€41 million in funding was going to be contributed by several groups, including the state, the Occitanie region, the Tarn department, the Castres-Mazamet agglomeration, and the Sor et Agout community of municipalities, to Atosca. 

This was agreed in February 2025.

While the full details of why the agreement was declined by the Council of State are yet to be revealed prior to a release on the ruling, previous concerns were raised in a report from the Autorité de régulation des transports (Transport Regulation Authority).

The report highlighted that the €41 million figure came as a result of calculations based on the estimated loss to the operator from the toll reduction compared to the increase in vehicle traffic from lower tolls and a reduction in taxes.

However, many of the figures were based on the motorway’s original opening date of January 1, 2026, almost ten months earlier than when the current scheduled October 2026 date.

Concerns over the lack of studies into the tolls, including the potential increase in vehicle numbers on the road, and confusion over how reductions based on vehicle size would be calculated, were also raised.

“This is bad news; the reduction was in the public interest. It is a real disappointment,” said president of the Castres-Mazamet agglomeration, Olivier Fabre. 

How much will tolls cost? 

Atosca will reveal full pricing closer to the motorway’s opening in October 2026. 

Information from 2021 – prior to the toll reduction agreement – showed a single-journey price of €6.77, however this may be updated due to inflation

With new developments factored in, media outlet La Dépêche believes a journey could cost over €8 for a standard vehicle.

There may be reductions in price for very low-emission vehicles (estimated up to 20%) and frequent users (30 - 70%).