View source for A72 autoroute

{{Short description|Road in France}}
{{Expand French|topic=transp|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox road
|country = FRA
|type    = A
|route   = 72
|alternate_name =
|map        = Autoroute A72 - plan.png
|e-road={{jct|country=FRA|E|72}}
|length_km=55
|terminus_a=[[Bordeaux]]
|junction=
|terminus_b=[[Toulouse]]
}}
[[Image:A72 110kph section.jpg|thumb|right|The A72 Eastbound in the steep section of the motorway.]]
The '''A72''' is an [[Autoroutes of France|autoroute]] ([[motorway]]) in [[France]]. It is {{convert|55|km|mi}} long.

The motorway is operated by ''Autoroutes du Sud de la France'' ([[Autoroutes du Sud de la France|ASF]]) and links [[Balbigny]] to [[Saint-Étienne]] on one of the steepest and meandrous motorways in France. Over {{convert|35|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the motorway is limited to 110&nbsp;km/h (70&nbsp;mph) as sections are considered too dangerous for the standard 130&nbsp;km/h (80&nbsp;mph) speed limit.

The motorway has 2 lanes both directions with 3 lane sections near [[Saint-Étienne]].

The road is also numbered the [[European route]] '''E70'''.  In 2006, the section between [[Clermont-Ferrand]] and the [[A89 autoroute|A89]] spur became part of the '''A89'''.

==Junctions==
{{RJL|date=December 2021}}
{| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: black; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|- align="center" bgcolor="FFFFFF" style="color: white;font-size:120%;"
| colspan="3" | {{Image label begin|image=Autoroute logo model.svg|width=298}}
{{Image label|x=-400|y=-40.0|scale=-1|text=<span style="font-size:375%;">A 72</span>}}
{{Image label end}}
|- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white"
| Junction number & name
| Northbound exits
| Southbound exits
|-
|[[Image:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg|17px|link=|alt=]]&nbsp;5.1
|[[A89 autoroute|A89]], [[Balbigny]]
|[[A89 autoroute|A89]], [[Balbigny]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|6}}
|[[Route nationale 89|RN89]], [[Feurs]]
|[[Route nationale 89|RN89]], [[Feurs]]
|-
|colspan="3" | {{Motorway services|Aire de la plaine du Forez}}
|-
|{{Motorway exit|7}}
|RD 496, [[Montbrison, Loire|Montbrison]], [[Montrond-les-Bains]]
|RD 496, [[Montbrison, Loire|Montbrison]], [[Montrond-les-Bains]]
|-
|colspan="3" | {{Motorway rest|Aire de Chante-Perdrix}}
|-
|colspan="3" | {{Motorway toll|Péage de la Veauchette}}
|-
|{{Motorway exit|8}}
|
|RD 12, [[Andrézieux-Bouthéon]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|8b}}
|RD 498, [[Route nationale 82|RN82]], [[Andrézieux-Bouthéon]]
|
|-
|{{Motorway exit|8a}}
|RD 498, [[Route nationale 82|RN82]], [[Andrézieux-Bouthéon]]
|
|-
|{{Motorway exit|9}}
|RD 100, [[Andrézieux-Bouthéon]], [[Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert]]
|RD 100, [[Andrézieux-Bouthéon]], [[Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|10}}
|RD 201, [[Villars, Loire|Villars]]
|RD 201, [[Villars, Loire|Villars]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|11}}
|
|Rue Francis Léger, [[Saint-Priest-en-Jarez]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|12}}
|Rue Montyon, Rue Claude Verney-Carron, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|Rue Montyon, Rue Claude Verney-Carron, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|13}}
|
|Rue Charles Cholat, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|14}}
|RD 3, Boulevard Georges Pompidou, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|RD 3, Boulevard Georges Pompidou, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|15}}
|
|Rue de la Talaudière, [[Saint-Étienne]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit|16}}
|
|RD 32, Rue Émile Zola, [[Saint-Étienne]], [[Saint-Jean-de-Bonnefonds]]
|-
|{{Motorway exit| }}
|[[Route nationale 88|RN 88]]
|[[Route nationale 88|RN 88]], [[Route nationale 88|RN 488]]
|}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
*[http://saratlas.free.fr/index.php?page=autoroute&route=a72&lang=en A72 autoroute] in [[Saratlas]]

{{Autoroutes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Autoroutes in France|A72]]