The Boulevard Périphérique (), often called the Périph, is a
limited-access dual-carriageway ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
in
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 ...
, France. With a few exceptions (see ''
Structure and Layout''), it is situated along Paris's administrative limit.
The speed limit along the Périphérique is 50 km/h (31 mph) as of 1 October 2024. Each ring generally has four traffic lanes, with no
hard shoulder. Its major
interchanges are called ''portes''. At
junctions, vehicles in the rightmost lane (separated from other lanes in these areas by a continuous white line to the left) must yield to entering vehicles.
When travelling at the legal speed limit, it takes approximately 40 minutes to complete a full circuit of the Périphérique.
History
In 1846, the French
War Ministry completed the defensive
Thiers wall around Paris, including fortifications, a
dry moat, a ''Rue Militaire'' and a large
berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of Soil compaction, compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a b ...
. In 1859, the military engineering department gave conditional control of the perimeter to the precursor of the current
Paris city council. The expansion of Paris in 1860, achieved through annexation of bordering communities, created a situation where everything within the Thiers wall was Paris and everything outside was not. The Thiers wall led to a profound disruption of the synergistic relationship between Paris and its
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
s.
In 1861, the Paris city council started converting some sections of the ''Rue Militaire'' into
boulevards. In the 1920s, the complete dismantling of the Thiers wall allowed further construction of what is today a series of over 20 connected boulevards encircling the city. This inner quasi-ring road came to be known as the
Boulevards of the Marshals, as most of the boulevards bear the name of a
marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
who served under
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. The road construction largely helped to reconnect Paris with its burgeoning suburbs. The Boulevards of the Marshals were almost fully completed by 1932, though the final three sections would not be added until 2005, closing the ring over 80 years after construction began. The Boulevards of the Marshals were built just inside the city limits, leaving a ring of vacant land just outside their perimeter.
Construction of the Périphérique began in 1958 on the remaining area once occupied by the Thiers Wall; the space not already taken up by the Boulevards of the Marshals measured anywhere from a few meters to the width of a city block. Unlike the Boulevards of the Marshals, the road bears only a single name, Boulevard Périphérique. In order to alleviate traffic congestion, the Périphérique was built more like 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 ...
than a wide boulevard, and was completed on 25 April 1973 under the
presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...
of
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( ; ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 19 ...
. Used in a quarter of all Parisian traffic movements, it quickly became the busiest road in France. The Périphérique became a victim of its own success, plagued by widespread congestion and blocked from expansion by dense surrounding urban areas.
The top speed of the périphérique was lowered multiple times in its history. while initially being of 90 km/h, it was lowered to 70 km/h in 2014 then 50 km/h in 2024.
Périphérique intérieur vs. extérieur
The Périphérique consists of two concentric carriageways: the ''intérieur'' ("inner ring") and the ''extérieur'' ("outer ring"). Vehicles travel
clockwise
Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...
on the inner ring and
counterclockwise
Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...
on the outer ring. Stretches of the road are sometimes referred to by
cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°.
The ...
. For example, in the southern half of the highway, the "inner ring" is designated as the ''Périphérique Ouest'' ("Western Ring"), as traffic there flows westbound, whereas the "outer ring" is designated as the ''Périphérique Est'' ("Eastern Ring"), as traffic flows eastbound. In the northern half, these designations are reversed.
Structure and layout

The structure of the Boulevard Périphérique is similar to most French
autoroutes,
UK and
Commonwealth nation 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 ...
s, and
American freeway
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 ...
s in the following ways:
* It is a two-ring, multiple-lane
controlled access road with no
at-grade crossings or
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...
s. Maximum longitudinal slope is 4%.
* Traffic in opposite directions is separated by a
median strip
A median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, controlled-access highway, freeways, and moto ...
.
But the Périphérique is also different from some of its domestic and foreign counterparts:
* Motorists entering the right-hand lane have the
right-of-way, i.e. priority over vehicles already on the ring road. This stems from the traditional rules governing Parisian boulevards.
* The right-hand lane is reserved for vehicles entering or preparing to leave the "normal" movement of vehicles in the other lanes, or the Boulevard itself. A solid white line separates recently entered traffic and circulating traffic. This is to prevent entering traffic from disrupting the flow of circulating traffic in the inner lanes, since all traffic would otherwise have to yield to any entering traffic, across all lanes.
* There is no
hard shoulder (emergency lane), except around the Porte de Gentilly. This means that crashes can cause considerable disruption to traffic, making it difficult for
emergency services to reach the scene of a crash.
There are generally four lanes in each of the two rings of the Boulevard. Variations exist:
* A two-lane section between the Porte d'Italie and the Porte d'Orléans
* A five-lane section between the Porte de Montreuil and Porte de Bagnolet
* A three-lane section between the Porte d'Orléans and the Porte de Sèvres.
The entire Boulevard Périphérique is 35.04 kilometres long, as measured along the central median strip. The route closely follows the municipal boundaries of Paris, but diverges in the
Bois de Boulogne and
Bois de Vincennes (where the roadway is
cut and covered), and the
Paris Heliport. Because the Boulevard was built over the old
Thiers Wall, its entrance/
exit ramps and
interchanges coincide with locations of the wall's former
city gates, or ''portes''. The road crosses the
River Seine via bridges upstream at Charenton/Bercy and downstream at Saint-Cloud/Issy.
Small distance markers are distributed evenly alongside the roadway:
* The 00.0 kilometre point is over the River Seine, upstream of the Porte de Bercy, at the bridge's
expansion joint
A expansion joint, or movement joint, is an assembly designed to hold parts together while safely absorbing temperature-induced expansion and contraction of building materials. They are commonly found between sections of buildings, bridges, s ...
s.
* Distances from this point increase in the clockwise direction.
* The distance markers on the sign are underlined in red on the inner ring road, and in blue on the outer ring.
The roadway varies in elevation:
* 50% is elevated above its surroundings, i.e. above
grade.
* 40% is constructed in trench sections, i.e. below grade.
* 10% is at ground level, i.e. at grade.
The Boulevard Périphérique can carry the heaviest vehicles allowed by French regulations. There is a height restriction of 4.75 metres (15 feet, 8 inches).
Speed control
The Boulevard Périphérique is equipped with
speed cameras to enforce the 50 km/h (31 mph) speed limit. The cameras are oriented to
photograph vehicle plates from behind, and are reportedly located near the following interchanges:
On the inner ring, at:
* Porte de Sèvres
* Porte de Champerret
* crossing the Quai d'Ivry, at the end of the bridge
* Porte de Bagnolet
On the outer ring, at:
* Porte de Châtillon
* Porte de Clichy
* Porte de Pantin
* Porte d'Auteuil
In addition, the Périphérique's exit ramps are often monitored with hand-held binocular-type radar devices; these are triggered when the 50 km/h (31 mph) exiting limit is exceeded.
Finally, during
rush hour,
radar-equipped police vehicles are often positioned in hidden areas for further spot checks.
Network monitoring and traffic management
Approximately one hundred traffic cameras are installed along the Périphérique, directly connected to the control room of its traffic management office. There are 166 emergency telephones, located every 500 metres along the ring road (every 250 metres underground), which handle 7,000 calls per year. The emergency phones are all numbered, with odd-numbered phones on the outer ring and even-numbered ones on the inner ring road.
Eight police vehicles continuously patrol the Périphérique during the day; four do so at night.
750 sensors embedded in the road surface record each passing vehicle, measuring flow rate, occupancy rate and/or traffic velocity on given portions of the Périphérique.
Variable-message sign
A variable- (also changeable-, electronic-, or dynamic-) message sign or message board, often abbreviated VMS, VMB, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign,
is an electronic traffic sign often used on roadways to give travelers info ...
s provide information on the estimated journey time to the next major exit, automatically generating updates every minute via a computer system using data from the sensors. The system also displays general information on accidents, road closures and
road work.
Other ring roads
The Boulevard Périphérique is not the only means of bypassing the
interior of the French capital:
* Within the city boundaries, the Boulevards des Marechaux (
Boulevards of the Marshals) encircle Paris, approximately 100 m inside the Périphérique. This is a collection of urban streets with standard crossings with other streets or tunnels under some major routes of entry. The speed limit is 50 km/h.
* Beyond the city boundaries, the
A86 (also known as the ''super-périphérique'') encircles Paris at a distance of 2–7 km from the Périphérique.
* Approximately 20 km from the Périphérique, a partially completed ring road called the
Francilienne.
* Another project, the
Grand contournement de Paris, has also been partially constructed.
Map
List of junctions
Statistics
* Traffic in 2010 consisted of:
** Around 240,000 vehicles per day, i.e. 2% of all trips in Paris, and significantly less than those made by
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
.
** 89%
car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
s and
light truck
Light truck or light-duty truck is a US classification for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to and a payload capacity up to . Similar goods vehicle classes in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are termed light ...
s, 7%
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
s, 4%
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
s
* Total length:
* Average trip length:
*
Speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, express ...
: . (Gradually changed to from 1 October 2024 to 10 October 2024)
[https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240909-speed-limit-on-vital-paris-ring-road-peripherique-lowered-50km-per-hour]
* Average speed on working days (7:00 am–9:00 pm):
See also
*
Boulevards of the Marshals
*
Périphérique (Caen)
*
A86 autoroute
*
Francilienne
References
Works cited
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulevard Peripherique
Ring roads in France
Transport in Paris