France records 708 km of traffic jams as summer holiday departures peak on Saturday

National traffic peaks at 708 km

On Saturday 18 July, Bison Futé classified the entire country as red for holiday departures. By 10:00, cumulative traffic jams had already reached 234 km. The congestion built steadily through the morning, hitting a peak of 708 km shortly before midday. The traffic authority expects difficult conditions to persist until early evening, particularly on routes towards the south, the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean.

Motorway arteries most affected

The A7 motorway, which carries traffic south through the Rhône valley, accounted for around 170 km of the total jams at the peak. The A9 towards Spain and the A10 were also heavily congested. In the west, Bison Futé reported 93 km of cumulative jams across the region, with notable slowdowns on the A11 near Angers. The A31, linking Luxembourg to Burgundy, was among the other routes seeing long delays.

Normandy sees localised peaks

In Normandy, the congestion was concentrated around Caen and Rouen. Around Caen, jams peaked at 18 km at 11:50, including 13.1 km on the ring road. On the A13 towards Cherbourg, a 4 km slowdown was recorded between Cresseveuille and Cricqueville-en-Auge. Near Rouen, the peak reached 10.1 km at 11:30, with heavy traffic on the N28, N31 and N138. In the Eure department, a 4 km jam formed on the A13 between Bourneville and Fourmetot.

Disruptions and weather

The A9 motorway had been closed for several hours overnight following a car accident that left one person dead and four slightly injured. The A6, which had been blocked for days by a forest fire that burned 2,200 hectares in Fontainebleau, reopened on Thursday evening. Along the Mediterranean arc, several departments remain under an orange heatwave alert, adding to the strain on drivers.

Return traffic also heavy

In the return direction, Bison Futé placed the Grand-Ouest, Nord and Mediterranean arc regions on orange alert. Traffic elsewhere in the country was described as normal. The authority advised travellers to avoid peak hours where possible.