In brief
Cumulative traffic jams reached 708 km at midday on 18 July, the highest point of the day, according to Bison Futé.
The A7 alone accounted for 170 km of jams, as holidaymakers headed south.
Caen saw 18 km of jams at 11:50, while Rouen peaked at 10.1 km at 11:30.
A fatal accident on the A9 during the night of 17-18 July left one dead and four injured, closing the motorway for several hours.
- 18 JulRouen area reaches peak congestion of 10.1 km
- 18 JulCaen area reaches peak congestion of 18 km
- 18 JulNational peak of 708 km of cumulative traffic jams
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.
- A7 motorway
- 170 km
- West region
- 93 km
- Caen area
- 18 km
- Rouen area
- 10.1 km
Data from the article text
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.