A69 motorway opens to drivers with a 20.40 euro round-trip toll, one of France's priciest

Opening under fog

The A69 motorway between Toulouse and Castres opened to drivers on Friday, 6 November, after years of contestation by environmental groups, residents and activists. The first motorists used the road just after 10:45 near Verfeil in Haute-Garonne, driving through thick fog in front of reporters gathered on the carriageway during a visit organised by Atosca, the concessionaire for the 53 km stretch. No opponents were present on the road. Atosca welcomed the opening as a new step for travel between Castres and Toulouse, while the transport ministry said on Thursday evening, 5 November, that the decision authorising commissioning had been signed and the last safety reservations lifted. The drive from Castres to Toulouse is now expected to take 35 minutes, down from just under an hour, yet some residents of communes along the route report new traffic problems and longer, more complicated trips.

Why the toll rose

The round-trip toll of 20.40 euros was published in the Journal officiel on Thursday, 5 November, in line with the rate Atosca had already announced. In mid-October the concessionaire had set a single journey at 8.50 euros, which put a round trip at 17 euros, and that earlier figure drew heavy criticism. The published price works out to just over 19 cents per kilometre, which makes the A69 one of France's most expensive toll roads, behind only the short A14 near Paris at 53 cents per kilometre. Local officials had hoped for a price about 33% lower. An unfavourable opinion from the Conseil d'État questioned the legality of an amendment that provided subsidies from local authorities and the State to bring the price down by that amount. In France the State owns the motorways and sets tariff rules in concession contracts, and according to the coverage only 22% of the toll price goes to motorway works.

Announced in mid-October 202617

Published 5 November 202620.4

Announced in mid-October 2026

17 EUR

Published 5 November 2026

20.4 EUR

Data from the article text

Criticism from local leaders

Christophe Ramond, the Socialist president of the Tarn department, had backed the A69 from the start, but he now sharply criticises the price.

“Like the people of Tarn, I feel betrayed!”

He added that the amount does not match what the State had promised, and called the tolls far too high for residents of Tarn. Olivier Fabre (DVD), president of the Castres-Mazamet communauté de communes, told AFP that local leaders were a bit stuck, because the State says it has found no legal way to pay its share of the extra funding meant to lower the toll. Videoconference meetings between local authorities, parliamentarians and the transport ministry took place in the days before the opening, but no solution has been found. Occitanie regional president Carole Delga, also a Socialist, said she was stunned and called the toll clearly unsustainable, urging a swift fix. Separately, a report by UDI senator Vincent Delahaye accused motorway concessionaires of disproportionate enrichment at the public's expense, and the government has proposed raising the tax on motorway and airport concession profits in its 2027 budget.

Opposition and court battle

Environmental groups had contested the motorway since 2023, before work began, with demonstrations that sometimes clashed with police and numerous legal challenges. In late February 2025 the administrative tribunal of Toulouse suspended the works, finding that the project did not show the public interest needed to justify the environmental damage it caused. In late May 2025 the Toulouse administrative appeal court allowed construction to resume, and this time it was not to stop before completion. The collective La Voie est Libre (LVEL) reacted to the opening with a statement.

“It is also a day of great cowardice. No inauguration for lack of volunteers to cut the ribbon.”

The opening took place without a ceremony, and the toll now stands at 20.40 euros for a round trip on a road that opened the same week as the price was published.