The Autoroute A40 is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

that extends from

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...

on the west to

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

on the east, terminating not far from

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

and the

Mont Blanc Tunnel The Mont Blanc Tunnel (, ) is a highway tunnel between France and Italy, under Mont Blanc in the Alps. It links Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France with Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy, via the French Route Nationale 205 and the Italian Traforo T1 ...

. The road runs through

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whic ...

, the high southern

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

, northern

Prealps The Alpine foothills, or Prealps (; ; ; ), may refer generally to any foothills at the base of the Alps in Europe. They are the transition zone between the High Alps and the Swiss Plateau and the Bavarian Alpine Foreland in the north, as well ...

and

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

. It was fully completed in 1990, and includes 12

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

s and 3

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

s. The road is maintained by Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône (APRR and ATMB), comprising part of

European routes 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 Central ...

E25 and E62.

Nomenclature

Autoroute A40 is named ''Autoroute des Titans'' ("Highway of the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

") for the dramatic engineering construction through the mountainous sections between

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient Provinces of France, province of Bresse (). I ...

and

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (, literally ''Bellegarde on Valserine''; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Ain Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Eastern France. On 1 January 2019, ...

, and as ''Autoroute Blanche'' ("the White Motorway") through the snow-laden Jura and

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

between

and

Annemasse Annemasse (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Anemâsse'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Eastern France. Even though it covers a relativ ...

on the Swiss border.

History

ATMB

* 1973 : The section between Vallard and Bonneville was opened. * 1974 : The section between Bonneville and

Cluses Cluses (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. Citizens are known as ''Clusiens''. The commune is situated in the Arve Valley, on the river which bears the same name. Cluse ...

was opened. * 1975 : The section between Cluses and

Sallanches Sallanches (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Located close to the Mont Blanc massif, many visitors pass through the town en route to well-known alpine resorts such as Chamonix, M ...

was opened. * 1976 : The section between Sallanches-Passy was opened in a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

. * 1982 : The 50 kilometre section between Bellegarde and

is opened. These sections were previously numbered B41.

APRR

* 1985 : Section between ''Bourg-Nord'' and ''-Bourg-Sud'' (20 km) completed. * 1986 : Opening of section between ''Bourg-Sud'' and ''Sylans (Nantua)'' (61 km). The French President,

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

opened the motorway giving it the name ''L'Autoroute des Titans''. * 1987 : Opening of the section Mâcon to Bourg-Nord (27 km) * 1989 : Opening of the section Sylans to Châtillon-en-Michaille (13 km) * 1990 : Opening of the junction between the

A6 autoroute The A6, also known as the Autoroute du Soleil, ''Motorway of the Sun'', (along with the A7), is an Autoroute in France, linking Paris to Lyon. The motorway starts at Paris's Porte d'Orléans and Porte d'Italie with two branches, numbered A6a ...

and the A40 (3 km) * 1995 : Widening of the ''Chamoise Tunnel'' and viaduct at

Nantua Nantua (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Nantuat'') is a Communes of France, commune in and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Ain Departments of France, département in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Easter ...

and Neyrolles The western section between the A6 and A42 was originally given the number F42. The whole road was re-numbered the A40 including a short section where the road merges with the A42.

Characteristics

The autoroute is made up of two lanes for each traffic direction except between its junctions with the A42 and A39 (21 km) where there are three lanes on each side.

List of exits and juctions

{, class="plainrowheaders wikitable" , - !scope=col, Region !scope=col, Department !scope=col, Junction !scope=col, Destinations !scope=col, Notes , - , rowspan="44",

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

, rowspan="2",

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...

, A6 - A40 ,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

, , - , ,

, , - , rowspan="20",

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

, ,

Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône (, literally ''Saint-Laurent on Saône'') is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. It lies on the left bank of the Saône, across from the city of Mâcon. Population See also *Communes of the Ain depa ...

Pont-de-Vaux Pont-de-Vaux () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department *List of medieval bridges in France A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth ...

, Feillens, Replonges , , - , ,

Pont-de-Veyle Pont-de-Veyle (, literally ''Bridge of Veyle'') is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Geography The Veyle flows west through the middle of the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department *List of medieval ...

, Vonnas, Replonges, Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône,

Bâgé-Dommartin Bâgé-Dommartin () is a commune in the Ain department of eastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2018 and consists of the former communes of Bâgé-la-Ville and Dommartin.A406 - A40 , Moulins,

Montceau-les-Mines Montceau-les-Mines () is a Communes of France, commune in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is the second-largest commune of the metropolitan C ...

, Mâcon - sud , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center,
, - , , Vonnas, Saint-Genis-sur-Menthon , , - , ,

Montrevel-en-Bresse Montrevel-en-Bresse (, literally ''Montrevel in Bresse'') is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of the 391 communes of the Ain department of ...

, Viriat,

Attignat Attignat (; ) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Administration Since 2014, Walter Martin has been the mayor of Attignat. He was re-elected in the 2020 municipal elections. Geography The commune is 12 km northwest o ...

, Bourg-en-Bresse - centre , - , A39 - A40 ,

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

- nancy,

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

Lons-le-Saunier Lons-le-Saunier () is a commune and capital of the Jura Department, eastern France. Geography The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura massif. The Jura escarpment extends to the east a ...

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, Dijon, Paris ( A5) , , - , , Bourg-en-Bresse - centre, Bourg-en-Bresse - est, Saint-Étienne-du-Bois, Val-Revermont, Viriat , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center,
, - , , Bourg-en-Bresse - centre,

Tossiat Tossiat () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in So ...

Ceyzériat Ceyzériat () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ain department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Ceyzériat station has rail connections to Bourg-en-Bresse and Oyonnax. History Hippolyte Paul Jayr, twice minister during ...

Péronnas Péronnas () is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Geography The Veyle forms part of the commune's western border. Population Sport and leisure Péronnas has a football club FC Bourg- ...

, , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center,
, - , A42 - A40 ,

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

, Saint Exupéry , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center,
, - , rowspan="2", +
A404 - A40 ,

Plateau d'Hauteville Plateau d'Hauteville () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2019 by merger of the former communes of Cormaranche-en-Bugey, Hauteville-Lompnes (the seat), Hostiaz and Thézilli ...

, Saint-Martin-du-Fresne , , - ,

Oyonnax Oyonnax () is the second most populated commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Oyonnax lies in a valley of the Jura Mountains in the far north of Ain. It is near the Parc naturel régional du Hau ...

, , - , rowspan="2", ,

Saint-Germain-de-Joux Saint-Germain-de-Joux () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of the 391 communes of the Ain department of France. The communes cooperate ...

, ''

Lac de Sylans Lac de Sylans is a lake at Le Poizat in the Ain department, France. It is significant for the ruins of one of the 19th century's largest ice harvesting factories and the occasional outflow of water in two directions. Geography The lac de Syla ...

'' , , - , colspan="2" style="text-align:center,
, - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center,
, - , , Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, Châtillon-en-Michaille , , - , rowspan="22",

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

, , Seyssel,

Frangy Frangy () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Savoie department The following is a list of the 279 Communes of France, communes ...

Éloise Éloise (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Savoie department The following is a list of the 279 Communes of France, communes of the Fre ...

, Rumilly,

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

, , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , ,

Cruseilles Cruseilles (; Arpitan: ''Corzelyes''; Savoyard dialect: ''Croueselyes'') is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. Cruseilles is on the A41 autoroute, 12 km (7.4 mi) south-southeas ...

Saint-Julien-en-Genevois Saint-Julien-en-Genevois (; ) is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 15,509. Geography Saint-Julien-en-Genevois is located right on the ...

, Annecy , - , A41 - A40 ,

Cointrin Geneva Airport – formerly and still unofficially known as Cointrin Airport – is an international airport of Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland. It is located northwest of the city centre. It surpassed the 15-million-pas ...

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

Genève Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

- centre, Grenoble, Annecy, Cruseilles , , - , , Collonges-sous-Salève,

Archamps Archamps () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. , it is the commune with the second highest median per capita income (€53,330 per year) in France.A411 - A40 +
, Genève - Vallard,

Gaillard Gaillard () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Gaillard lies on the border with Switzerland, 5 km east of the city centre of Geneva. The biggest border crossing is cal ...

, , - ,

, Reigner-Ésery , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, +

, - , ,

Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains (; ), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is part of a ...

Évian-les-Bains Évian-les-Bains (), or simply Évian (, , or ), is a Communes of France, commune in Eastern France, by the border with Switzerland. It is located in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A high-m ...

, Saint-Jeoire,

Vallée Verte The Vallée Verte (literally: Green Valley) is a valley in the Chablais Alps, about 15 kilometres south of Thonon-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie area of France.French Alps'. Michelin, 2007. 543. The river Menoge flows through it. It has as ...

, Reignier-Esery , , - , A410 - A40 ,

La Roche-sur-Foron La Roche-sur-Foron (; Arpitan: ''La Roche'') is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is located about 23 km (14.2 mi) southeast of Geneva, Switzerland. La Roche-sur-Foron sta ...

, Annecy, Grenoble (A41), Lyon (A43) , , - , , Bonneville - centre,

Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. It is located in the historical province of Faucigny in Savoy hence its name. The town had 6,389 inhabitants in 2016. ...

, La Roche-sur-Foron , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , , Thyez, Marignier, Bonneville - ''Z. I'' , , - , ,

Morzine Morzine (; ), alternatively known as Morzine-Avoriaz (), is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is located in the French-Swiss Chablais historical ...

Avoriaz Avoriaz (, ) is a French mountain resort in the Portes du Soleil in the French commune of Morzine, on a shelf above the town of Morzine. Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz; transport includes horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats during winter. One ...

Les Gets Les Gets (, ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Savoie, in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, southeastern France.

Samoëns Samoëns (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Samouens'') is an alpine Communes of France, commune on the France–Switzerland border, Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, r ...

- ouest , , - , ,

Flaine Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of France, communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Mori ...

Magland Magland () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in south-eastern France. Geography Magland is in the Vallée de l'Arve, between Cluses and ...

, Les Carroz d'Arâches, Cluses - centre, ''C.R. des Douanes'' , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , ,

Albertville Albertville (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is best k ...

Megève Megève (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France with a population of more than 3,000 residents. The town is well known as a ski resort near Mont Blanc in the French Alps. Co ...

, ''Hôpital'', Magland , , - , colspan="3" style="text-align:center, , - , ,

- centre,

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Saint-Gervais-les-Bains () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region, southeastern France. The village is best known for tourism and has been a po ...

, - , , Passy - Chedde, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Albertville , - , colspan="8" style="text-align:center; , becomes , -

References

External links

A40 autoroute
in Saratlas {{Autoroutes A40 Mâcon