The A83 autoroute is a motorway in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It is in the departments of Pays-de-la-Loire and Poitou-Charentes operated by ASF. It connects Nantes to

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the ...

via

Fontenay-le-Comte Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a po ...

. The motorway has a junction with the A10 at Niort which gives access to the north and to

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

connection. The A83 forms part of the ''Autoroute des Estuaires''. The total length is 152.5 km. It is also part of the

European route The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Centr ...

E3.

Opposition

The A83 was only finally opened in 2001 with the opening of the section between Oulmes and Niort. This last part of the route put an end to a long debate since 1987. The A83 was originally to join the A10 by circumventing Niort to the south passing close to Coulon and Magné. This route was more direct but crossed the

Poitevin Marsh The Marais Poitevin () or Poitevin Marsh is a large area of marshland in western France. The name means "Poitou's Marsh" or the "Marsh of the Poitou region". It is a remnant of what was the former . The western zone near the sea (about two-thi ...

(''

Marais Poitevin The Marais Poitevin () or Poitevin Marsh is a large area of marshland in western France. The name means "Poitou's Marsh" or the "Marsh of the Poitou region". It is a remnant of what was the former . The western zone near the sea (about two-thi ...

'') – disturbing fauna, flora, and the landscapes of this wet

marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

. A83 was opened between Nantes and Oulmes while a more environmentally friendly route was sought. The southern layout close to Niort had two problems wet marsh and the urbanized district of Saint-Liguaire. Finally, in 1992, a longer route to the north of Niort was selected. This was supported by the Local authority as it served more of its district. The last 34.4 km between Oulmes and Niort were opened by

Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...

in 2001, then deputy of Deux-Sèvres. She had had to campaign to ensure the marshland is preserved. Arbitration had been provided by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

François Mitterrand.

Junctions

* ''Exchange A83-RN901'' Junction with the Périphérique de Nantes (Porte des Sorinières) and the N801. ** Service Area: La Grassinière * 01 (''D718'') Towns served: Junction with the RD718 * 02 (''La Cour Neuve'') Towns served: La Cour Neuve ** Péage du Bignon ** Rest Area: Remouillé * 04 (''Montaigu'') Towns served: Montaigu ** Service Area: Les Brouzils/Chavagnes-en-Paillers * ''Exchange A83-A87'' Junction with the A87 * 05 (''Les Essarts-Les Herbiers'') Towns served: Les Herbiers ** Rest Area: Grissay/Ste Florence * 06 (''Bournezau-Chantonnay'') Towns served: Bournezau ** Service Area: Vendée * 07 (''Luçon-Ste Hermine'') Towns served: Luçon ** Péage du Fontenay-le-Comte ** Rest Area: Auzay-Ouest ** Rest Area: Auzay-Est * 08 (''Fontenay-le-Comte'') Towns served:

* 09 (''Niort-Ouest'') Towns served:

niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the ...

** Service Area: La Chateaudrie/La Canepetière * 10 (''Niort-Nord'') Towns served:

* 11 (''Niort-Est'') Towns served:

* ''Exchange A10-A83'' Junction with the A10 to

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

A831

The autoroute aims to shorten the journey from Nantes to Bordeaux which currently uses the A83/A10, this adds 25 km to the journey (Sainte-Hermine à Saintes RN137 & A837 autoroute). The A831, will connect

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

(A837) with Fontenay-le-Comte (A83). The route between Nantes and Bordeaux will be via A83 between Nantes and Fontenay-le-Comte, the A831 between Fontenay-le-Comte and Rochefort, the A837 between Rochefort and Saintes and the A10 between Saintes and Bordeaux. In spite of the many different motorways involved the route will be shorter. A831 is currently only a proposal declared by a Public Utility Decree by the State Council on July 12, 2005. The next stage is the awarding of the concession to run the motorway. The road will however have to cross the

and Rochefort Marshes, the two great wetlands of the Atlantic Coast, which probably be challenged.

External links

A83 Motorway in Saratlas
{{Autoroutes A83