The A43 autoroute, also known as ''l'autoroute alpine'' and ''l'autoroute de la Maurienne'', 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 ar ...

. Travelling through the French

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

, the road connects the city of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

with the

Tunnel du Fréjus A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube const ...

, near Modane, which passes the Italian border towards

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

. The autoroute opened in phases as it was constructed between 1973 and 1998.

Characteristics

* 2x2 lanes * 2x3 lanes between the Boulevard Périphérique in

, the A46 and the

A48 A48 may refer to : * A48 motorway (France), a road connecting the A43 and Grenoble * A48 road (Great Britain), a road connecting Gloucester, England and Carmarthen, Wales * Autovía A-48, a motorway under construction connecting Cadiz and Algeciras ...

(34 km) * 2x4 lanes between the A46 and the A432 (7 km) * 4+3 lanes between the A432 and the toll barrier at

Saint-Quentin-Fallavier Saint-Quentin-Fallavier is a commune in the Isère department, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in southeastern France. Geography Saint-Quentin Fallavier is located in Isère, at the boundary of the department of Rhône, along the A43 ...

(7 km) * 208 km long * Service areas

History

* 1973: Opening of the section between

and Bourgoin-Jallieu. * 1974: Opening of the section between Bourgoin-Jallieu and Chambéry. * 1990: Widening of the road to 2x3 lanes between

and the junction with the

. * 1991: Opening of the L'Epine Tunnel. * 1991: Opening of section between Montmélian ( A41) and

Aiton Aiton may refer to: People *Aiton (surname) *Standard author abbreviation of William Aiton (1731 – 1793), Scottish botanist Places * Aiton, Cluj, a commune in Romania * Aiton, Savoie, a commune in France Other uses * Tai Aiton people, one of ...

. The section previously numbered A41 between Chambéry and Montmélian was re-numbered the A43. * 1996: Opening of section between

and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. * 1998: Opening of section between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne (, literally ''Saint-Michel of Maurienne''; frp, Sin Mestyé) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Geography Climate Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne has a oc ...

. * 2000: Opening of section between

and Freney, and the incorporation of the N566 approach to the Fréjus Tunnel. * 2002: Completion of Junction 11. * 2004: Completion of Junction 20.

Junctions

= *

External links

A43 autoroute
in Saratlas {{DEFAULTSORT:A43 Autoroute Autoroutes in France