In the center of Alès, Grand-rue Jean-Moulin gets to the heart of the matter of a “place of good living”

The work began this Monday, March 11, at the north end of the street, near the Boissier-de-Sauvages quay. FREE NOON – ALEXIS BETHUNE

The work began this Monday, March 11, at the north end of the street, near the Boissier-de-Sauvages quay. FREE NOON – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Le chantier a commencé ce lundi 11 mars, à l’extrémité nord de la rue, près du quai Boissier-de-Sauvages. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Cette semaine, les travaux d’aménagement de la future "rue jardin" débutent pour de bon…

"Finally the active phase!" La Grand-rue Jean-Moulin, in the center d’Alès, opens a new chapter in its restructuring. This is now possible after the renovation, in recent months, of all the underground networks ("the basements are good for 50, 60, 70 years ") and the demolition of the slabs which ran alongside certain buildings. Christophe Rivenq, first deputy mayor and president of the Agglo, does not hide it: "There will be, for a certain time, inconvenience, from the coordination of work ." This, to arrive "in a year and a half", i.e. "before the end of the year 2025", upon delivery of what the municipality has always presented as a "rue jardin", requiring an investment of nearly 27 M€.

At the start of the week, phase 1 of the development begins. This concerns, until September, in particular the artery from Quai Boissier-de-Sauvages to Rue Jules-Cazot. But also Grand-rue Jean-Moulin at its other end, since the green space adjoining rue Balore will be reworked. The three other phases will follow, including one in charge of the social landlord Les Logis cévenols whose general director, Thierry Spiaggia, specifies from the outset that’"we will attack by all feet of building".

The "Priority soft mobility"

"With the mayor, we shake all the coconut trees to speed up this project", declares his right-hand man. In front of an imposing plane on which he moves a stick, Max Roustan says: "You will notice that there is quite a bit of green, with a longitudinal parking lane (read also here -below). It's going to look awesome." Christophe Rivenq, highlighting "a real neighborhood project" which should make Grand-rue Jean -Moulin a "autonomous place, like a village-district", returns to the specificities of the program. He then speaks of "priority soft mobility", of a "street exclusively reserved for people who live there".

A place “in case of high heat”

Parking The municipality is categorical: parking "is maintained in a less anarchic manner" . Max Roustan even assures that on the whole of Grand-rue Jean-Moulin, "there will be, in all, between twenty and thirty additional materialized spaces". This being said, explains Christophe Rivenq, "private car parks will be attacked quickly".

Shops "Shops will be created on the ground floor of ;rsquo;building, hoping that they will be filled", announces the first deputy. The mission of finding "proximity"  brands falls elsewhere to the Logis Cévennes. What type ? Nothing is set yet. But it appears that local residents are demanding "medical offices" and "l& rsquo;idea is not to compete with the market that is nearby".

Freshness, trash cans and pétanque Municipal services are also working on the creation of a &quot ;freshness point", which would find its use "in case of high heat" and would be found " in the heart of the street". Not forgetting "a place to play boules, far from the windows". Finally, eco-composters will be installed, in the middle of the street, on a vegetated surface, "in strategic locations".

Here, the road traffic lanes will be narrowed. The vehicles, which the City wants to get out of there, will travel in one direction, except between rue de La Meunière and the Pont-Vieux. And all ramps will be made two-way. "It will be a place of good living, with urban air conditioning provided by the vegetation", he says. Thus, among other things, it is planned that "150 large trees" be planted. As for the ground, they will be made "in the spirit of the covering around the cathedral and the Place de l’Abbaye".

A permanent information point is planned

Residents should easily be able to follow and find out about the progress of the construction site. For this, Christophe Rivenq promises "the establishment of a permanent information point for the population", under the shape of a "visible kiosk".