The A16 autoroute – also known as L'Européenne and forming between Abbeville and Dunkirk a part of the larger Autoroute des estuaires – is a motorway in northern France.

A16 autoroute shield
A16 autoroute
L'Européenne
Route information
Part of E40
Length319 km (198 mi)
Existed1991–present
Major junctions
South endAttainville
Major intersections
North endGhyvelde
Location
CountryFrance
Major citiesAmiens, Abbeville, Calais, Dunkerque
Highway system
  • Roads in France
The A16 motorway on the Echinghen viaduct near Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais)

The motorway, which has a total length of 327 km (203 mi), starts at a junction with the N104 Francilienne near Attainville in Île-de-France and ends at the Belgian frontier near Bray-Dunes, serving en route Beauvais, Amiens, Abbeville, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais and Dunkirk in Hauts-de-France. From its starting point near Paris, the A16 runs in a northerly direction, continues north parallel to the English Channel from Abbeville and then in an easterly direction along the North Sea coast. It is one of the two main routes between the Port of Calais/Channel Tunnel and Paris, the other being the A26 and A1 route to the east.

The vast majority of the motorway was built in the 1990s to relieve the congested RN1 between Paris and the Côte d'Opale (Boulogne and Calais). An 8 km southern extension between l'Isle-Adam and Attainville to a junction with the Paris ring road N104 (Francilienne) opened in 2020. Between Amblainville and Boulogne it is operated by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France (SANEF) and is tolled. From Boulogne to the Belgian border the road is managed by the Direction Départementale de l'Équipement (DDE), which does not impose a toll.

This motorway does not have any officially designated "full" service areas – all of them are designated "Aire de Repos" (rest area).

List of junctions edit

 
Junction number & name Northbound exits Southbound exits
  8 RN1, RN104, RD909, RD78 Montsoult, RN1, RN104, Attainville, Moisselles,

RD301, RD9,

  9  RD 64E, Presles Northbound Exit only
  10 RN1, RN184, Presles RN1, RN184
  11  RD 922, RN1, L'Île-Adam, Mours, Beaumont-sur-Oise RD 922, RN1, L'Île-Adam, Mours, Beaumont-sur-Oise
  12  RD 924, Persan, Chambly
  Péage d'Amblainville
  13  RD105, Méru RD105, Méru
  Aire de repos de Lormaison
  Aire de repos d'Auteuil
  14  Beauveais sud RN1, Beauvais RN1, Beauvais
  15 Beauvais RN31, Beauvais RN31, Beauvais
  Aire de repos du Chêne Peuquet
  16 RD930, Breteuil, Hardivillers-en-Vexin RD930, Breteuil, Hardivillers-en-Vexin
  Aire de repos de Hardivillers
  Aire de repos de laVallée de la Selle
  17 A29 A29
  18  RN29, Amiens, Salouël RN29, Amiens, Salouël
  28.1 A29 A29
  19  Amiens Amiens
  20  RN1, Amiens RN1, Amiens
  Aire de repos de Vignacourt
  21  RN1, Ville-le-Marclet RN1, Ville-le-Marclet
  Aire de repos du Haut Clocher
  22  Abbeville est RD925, Abbeville RD925, Abbeville
  23 Abbeville nord A28 A28
  Aire de repos de la Baie de Somme
  24  Côte Picarde RN1, RD32 Forest-Montiers, Nouvion RN1, RD32 Forest-Montiers, Nouvion
  Aire de repos du Bois de la Commanderie
  25  RD303 Berck-Plage RD303 Berck-Plage
  26  RN39, Le Touquet, Étaples RN39, Le Touquet, Étaples
  Aire de repos des Falaises de Widehem
  27  RD308, Neufchâtel-Hardelot RD308, Neufchâtel-Hardelot
  28  Boulogne sud RN1, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hesdin-l'Abbé, Isques RN1, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hesdin-l'Abbé, Isques
  Péage de Herquelingue
  29  Boulogne ports RN1, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Outreau, Le Portel RN1, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Outreau, Le Portel
  30  RD341, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Saint-Martin-Boulogne
  31  Boulogne est RN42, Boulogne-sur-Mer RN42, Boulogne-sur-Mer
  32  Boulogne nord Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer
  33  RD940, Wimereux, Wimille RD940, Wimereux, Wimille
  34  Wacquinghen
  Aire de repos de L'Épitre
  35 RD241, Marquise
  36  RD191, Marquise RD191, Marquise
  37 Saint-Inglevert
  Aire de repos Les Deux Caps
  38  Saint-Inglevert
  39  RD243, Bonningues-lès-Calais RD243, Bonningues-lès-Calais
  40  RD215, Peuplingues, Fréthun RD215, Peuplingues, Fréthun
  41  Coquelles, Sangatte Coquelles, Sangatte
  42  Tunnel Channel Tunnel Channel Tunnel
  43  Calais centre RD305, Calais RD305, Calais
  44  Calais st-pierre Calais Calais
  45  Entrance only
  46  RD119, RD943, Calais–Centre, St. Omer RD119, RD943, Calais–Centre, St. Omer
  47 A26, Paris, Reims

A216, Calais–Port, Car Ferry

A26, Paris, Reims

A216, Calais–Port, Car Ferry

  Aire de repos du Beau Marais (former site of, now closed)
  48  RD247, Marck RD247, Marck
  49  Marck Marck
  Aire de repos d'Offekerque
  50  RD219, Nouvelle-Eglise RD219, Nouvelle-Eglise
  51  RD218, Saint-Folquin, Gravelines RD218, Saint-Folquin
  52/52a/b  RD11, Saint-Georges-sur-l'Aa RD11, Bourbourg Gravelines
  53  RN316, Loon-Plage Dunkirk Port/Car Ferry RD300, Bourbourg St. Omer, Port/Car Ferry
  54/54a  RD131, Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk-Ouest RD131, Spycker
  55  No northbound exit Polyclinique de Grande-Synthe
  56  Grande-Synthe Centre Grande-Synthe Centre
  57/57a/b  RD625, RN225 Lille, Grande-Synthe RD625, RN225 Lille
  58  RD2020V Petite-Synthe, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer RD2020V, Petite-Synthe, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer
  59  No northbound exit RD202, Dunkirk Centre
  60  RD916, Dunkirk Centre, Cappelle-la-Grande RD916, Dunkirk Centre, Cappelle-la-Grande
  61  Dunkirk, Coudekerque-Branche Dunkirk Coudekerque-Branche
  62  RD635, Dunkirk-Est RD635, Dunkirk-Est
  63  RD4, Leffrinckoucke, Teteghem RD4, Leffrinckoucke, Teteghem
  64  No northbound exit RD79, Leffrinckoucke, Uxem
  65  RD947/947a, Bray-Dunes , Ghyvelde, Les Moeres RD947/947a, Bray-Dunes, Les Moeres
  Aire de repos du Ghyvelde

Future extensions edit

Currently the A16 runs from junction number 8 to junction number 65. This leads to speculation that the southern end of the motorway is intended to be extended either directly south by upgrading the RD301/RN1 to meet the A1 at Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, or to the east by upgrading the RN104 to meet the A1 at Paris-Charles De Gaulle, thus completing the missing junction numbers.

External links edit