A40 (France)

Autoroute A40
Autoroute A40
Autoroute des Titans; Autoroute Blanche
Route information
	Part of E 25 E 60
	Maintained by ATMB
Length	205.9 km (127.9 mi)
Existed	1973–present
Major junctions
West end	E 15 / A 6 at Mâcon
	1 D 906; 2 D 68 / D 68B / D 933; 3 D 1079 / D 1179; E 62 / A 406; 4 D 47 / D 1079; 5 D 92 / D 975 / D 1479; A 39; 6 D 52F / D 1083; 7 D 1075; E 611 / A 42; 8 Saint Martin du Fresne A 404 / D 12 / D 31 / D 1084; 9 D 1084; 10 Bellegarde D 101; 11 D 14 / D 908A / D 1508; 13 A 41 / D 1201; 13.1 D 18 / D 18B / D 318 / D 1206; 14 A 411 / D 2 / D 906A / D 1206; 15 Vallée Verte D 903; E 712 / A 410; 16 Bonneville D 19 / D 1203; 17 D 19 / D 1205; 18 D 304 / D 1205; 19 D 1205; 20 D 2105; 21 D 39 / D 339
East end	N 205 / D 43 / D 902 / D 1205 at Passy
Location
Country	France
Highway system
	Roads in France; Autoroutes; Routes nationales;

The Autoroute A40 is a motorway in France that extends from Mâcon on the west to Passy on the east, terminating not far from Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The road runs 208 kilometers (129 mi) through Bresse, the high southern Jura Mountains, northern Prealps and French Alps. It was fully completed in 1990, and includes 12 viaducts and 3 tunnels. The road is maintained by Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône (APRR and ATMB), comprising part of European routes E25 and E62.^[1]

Nomenclature

A trilingual sign written: "Welcome to the 'White Motorway'" in the Rhône-Alpes region

Autoroute A40 is named Autoroute des Titans ("Highway of the Titans") for the dramatic engineering construction through the mountainous sections between Bourg-en-Bresse and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, and as Autoroute Blanche ("the White Motorway") through the snow-laden Jura and Alps between Bellegarde-sur-Valserine and Annemasse on the Swiss border.

History

The Nantua viaduct on the "Highway of the Titans" of Autoroute A40

ATMB

1973 : The section between Vallard and Bonneville was opened.
1974 : The section between Bonneville and Cluses was opened.
1975 : The section between Cluses and Sallanches was opened.
1976 : The section between Sallanches-Passy was opened in a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.
1982 : The 50 kilometre section between Bellegarde and Annemasse is opened.

These sections were previously numbered B41.

APRR

1985 : Section between Bourg-Nord and -Bourg-Sud (20 km) completed.
1986 : Opening of section between Bourg-Sud and Sylans (Nantua) (61 km). The French President, François Mitterrand opened the motorway giving it the name L'Autoroute des Titans.
1987 : Opening of the section Mâcon to Bourg-Nord (27 km)
1989 : Opening of the section Sylans to Châtillon-en-Michaille (13 km)
1990 : Opening of the junction between the A6 autoroute and the A40 (3 km)
1995 : Widening of the Chamoise Tunnel and viaduct at Nantua and Neyrolles

The western section between the A6 and A42 was originally given the number F42. The whole road was re-numbered the A40 including a short section where the road merges with the A42.

Characteristics

The autoroute is made up of two lanes for each traffic direction except between its junctions with the A42 and A39 (21 km) where there are three lanes on each side.

Junctions

Exit/Junction	Destination
	Exchange A6-A40 Motorway starts at junction with A 6 to Paris (north), Lyon (south)
\|1	(Mâcon-centre) 2 km Towns served: Mâcon
\|2	(Feillens) 5 km Towns served: Pont-de-Vaux
\|3	(Pont-de-Veyle) 8 km Towns served:
	Exchange A406-A40 Junction with A 406 (under construction) to
\|Rest Area: L'Étang Quinard (eastbound), Saint-André de Bagé (westbound)
\|4	(Vonnas) 18 km Towns served: Saint-Cyr-sur-Menthon, N 79
\|5	(Bourg-Nord) 30 km Towns served: Bourg-en-Bresse
	Exchange A39-A40 Junction with A 39 to Dole (north)
\|6	(Lons-le-Saunier/Étienne-du-Bresse) 39 km Towns served: Bourg-en-Bresse, N 83
\|Service Area: Aire de Bourg
\|7	(Bourg-Sud) 50 km Towns served: Bourg-en-Bresse, N 75
\|Rest Area: Certines (eastbound), Tossiat (westbound)
	Exchange A42-A40 Junction with the A 42 to Lyon (south)
\|Rest Area: Neuville-sur-Ain (westbound)
\|Service area: Ceignes-Cerdon (westbound)
\|Rest Area: Ceignes-Haut-Bugey (westbound)
\|8	(Nantua St-Martin du Fresne) 81 km Towns served: St Martin du Fresne
	Exchange A404-A40 Junction with the A 404 to Oyonnax
\|9	(Nantua les Neyrolles) 90 km Towns served: Nantua
\|Rest area: Le Lac (eastbound), Les Neyrolles de Bagé (eastbound)
\|Rest Area: La Michaille (westbound), La Semine (westbound)
\|10	(Bellegarde) 106 km Towns served: Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
\|11	(Frangy Seyssel) 115 km Towns served: Frangy, N 508
\|Service Area: Aire de Valleiry
\|Péage de Viry
\|13	(Saint-Julien) 136 km Towns served: Saint-Julien-en-Genevois
\|13.1	(Parc d'Affaire Internationale) 138 km Towns served: Archamps
\|Rest Area: Télégraphe de Salève
\|14	(Annemasse) 152 km Towns served: Geneva (Switzerland) via spur A 411. Annemasse
\|Péage de Nangy
\|15	(Boëge/Vallee Verte) 161 km Towns served: N 503 to Thonon-les-Bains
	Exchange A410-A40 Junction with the A 410 to Annecy
\|16	(Bonneville-Ouest) 170 km Towns served: Bonneville
\|Service Area: Aire de Bonneville
\|17	(Bonneville-Est) 174 km Towns served: Bonneville
\|18	(Cluses-Ouest) 183 km Towns served: Cluses
\|19	(Cluses-Centre) 188 km Towns served: Cluses
\|Péage de Cluses
\|20	(Sallanches) 198 km Towns served: Sallanches
\|Rest Area: Passy (westbound)
\|21	(Passy Chedde) 206 km Towns served: Megève, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
\|22	(Passy) 208 km the autoroute ends becoming the N 205 towards Chamonix and Turin (Italy)