The A47 autoroute is a highway in central

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 ...

. Completed in 1983 it connects

Givors Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Location It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sai ...

(Lyon) to Saint-Étienne. It also serves the suburbs south-west of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

and east of Saint-Étienne.

Characteristics

* Toll free motorway * 2x2 lanes * 45 km long

History

* 1953 and 1962: Opening of the central section between

Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to: * Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon * Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him * Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...

and Rive-de-Gier (current Junction 11). * 1970: Opening of an extension to Givors. In Givors, A47 is built on the site of an old road, which makes it run close to neighbouring buildings creating

noise pollution Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is ma ...

. * 1983: Opening of the short section between

and the junction with the A7 and A46 autoroutes. As a result, Lyon and St-Etienne are linked totally by motorway from beginning to end. * 1991: Opening of the St-Chamond by-pass. The old A47 through St-Chamond was re-numbered the D288 (expressway). * 1998: For the Football World Cup the section between St-Chamond and St-Etienne was widened to 2x3 lanes but this section is numbered the RN88.

Future

There are plans to transform sections of the A47 into an urban boulevard if the A45 to Lyon and Saint-Etienne, bypassing Givors, is built.

Junctions

External links

A47 autoroute
in Saratlas {{Autoroutes A47