Paris ring road celebrates 50 years
World
Paris ring road celebrates 50 years
(AFP) - From the end of the 1960s to the early 1970s, major works were undertaken in the French capital to streamline traffic. Central to the plan was the construction of the Paris ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique, inaugurated by then prime minister Pierre Messmer on 25 April 1973.
Fifty years ago, on 25 April 1973, the largest construction site in France was completed with the inauguration of the Paris ring road.
This monumental work, which was under construction between 1956 and 1973, is part of the long history of Paris. The route follows the city fortifications of the mid-19th century.
The city walls were demolished, to be replaced by a belt of buildings and, later on, by the Boulevard Périphérique.
