An official court advistor has recommended to judges that a lower court decision to halt work on the A69 motorway in south-west France should be fully overturned.
Administrative courts generally follow the advice of the rapporteur public, so this signals that the motorway could be poised to finish construction next year.
The motorway is mostly finished as work has continued, despite an earlier ban handed down from the Toulouse administrative court, due to a stay of execution and appeal process and France’s Transport Minister believes the road could be open to vehicles as early as October or November 2026.
Around 82% of the earthworks and 95% of engineering for the route is complete according to concessionaire Atosca, with the laying of asphalt along the road the final major task of the project.
Complicated history of new motorway
The A69 is set to link Castres and Toulouse but has been dogged by environmental and legal challenges for several years.
Environmental protestors have staged several demonstrations along the route over the years, claiming that the road’s construction is destroying rare habitats in the area and leading to an avoidable increase in pollution.
This was despite the fact the motorway was more than half-built at the time.
Advertisment
The French State appealed the Toulouse court’s decision, and in May 2025 a new ruling allowed for work to continue while the appeal was being reviewed by the courts.
During the May 2025 hearing, the public rapporteur spoke in favour of allowing construction to continue – against the original decision – and has done so again.
It cites the economic importance of the road to the area as imperative.
What next?
France’s appeals court is expected to hand down a ruling on the matter in January 2026. If it follows the rapporteur’s advice as expected, it will overturn the original decision to halt construction and officially reinstate work permits, allowing construction to continue.
Opponents headed by the La voie est libre group are expected to lodge an appeal to this, which will be taken to France’s Conseil d’Etat (Council of State), although during this time work will probably continue on the motorway.
By the time this final definitive ruling is made – some point in the latter half 2026 – the motorway is expected to be almost completed.
La voie est libre is filing another separate case over illegal encroachments to environmental zones by construction workers, again calling for an injunction and pause to work on the road.
The motorway is set to be a flux libre road, barrier-free but with drivers required to pay tolls either online or via electronic télépéage toll badges.
