The Council of State validated on Monday June 29 the environmental authorization of the A69 Toulouse-Castres, contested by environmentalists, confirming a decision of the Toulouse administrative court of appeal. In a press release, “the Council of State notes that the A69 motorway project meets four distinct objectives: reducing travel time between Castres and Toulouse, improving the living environment of local residents, providing an improvement in road safety and contributing to the development of the Castres conurbation”.
For the institution, “neither the development of the existing road network, nor the upgrading of the current national road 126 to two lanes, nor the improvement of the rail link constitute a satisfactory alternative solution since none of these options makes it possible to respond as effectively as the motorway link to the four objectives pursued”.
No alternative deemed satisfactory
In February 2025, the Toulouse administrative court canceled the environmental authorizations for the A69, considering that it did not meet a “compelling reason of major public interest” (RIIPM). The Toulouse administrative court of appeal overturned this decision in December.
The Council of State was then contacted by associations which, like certain scientists, denounce the destruction of wetlands, agricultural land, trees, ecosystems and water tables linked to the construction since 2023 of this 53 km motorway segment supposed to shorten the journey between Toulouse and Castres by around twenty minutes, which today requires around 1 hour 15 minutes by car.
