A8 autoroute

Template:Short description Template:Template other[[Category:Infobox road instances Template:Infobox road/meta/mask/category]] The A8 autoroute, also known as La Provençale, is a long highway in France that runs between Aix-en-Provence and the A7 to the Côte d'Azur.

Route

The A8 is an extension of the A7 starting to the west of Aix-en-Provence at La Fare-les-Oliviers. The road passes through the Departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Alpes-Maritimes. It serves the towns of Aix-en-Provence, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monaco and Menton before crossing the border where it becomes the A10 in Italy. It crosses the mountain ranges of Sainte-Baume and of Maures between Aix-en-Provence and Fréjus and the Massif de l'Esterel between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes. Following the Grande Corniche the road offers panoramas of the sea between Nice and Menton.

Whilst the route now starts to the west of Aix-en-Provence, according to the 3rd edition (1973) of the Michelin Atlas des autoroutes de France, the A8 used to start just west of Coudoux. Indeed, the toll fees were listed as being 2FF from Coudoux to Aix-en-Provence in 1973.

Capacity

• 2x3 lanes from Coudoux (the junction with the A7 to La Barque (junction with the A52).
• 2x2 lanes from La Barque to Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (being expanded to 2x3 lanes) increases to 2x3 lanes at Cagnes-sur-Mer.
• 2x4 lanes from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Saint-Laurent-du-Var (the road enters the Nice conurbation).
• 2x2 lanes in the section through the southern Alps from Nice Saint-Augustin to the frontier with Italy, this section has 15 tunnels. There is a speed limit of 90 km/h in the tunnels (70 km/h for large vehicles).

Traffic

The road has heavy traffic all year round and is especially congested in July and August, in particular around Antibes and Nice. As a result, traffic-management schemes have been adopted between Var to Nice-West similar to those on the Péripherique in Paris. The autoroute is regularly closed on the Nice-Menton section as a result of rock falls onto the carriageways. The sections crossing the Maures and L'Esterel mountains are at risk from forest fires in summer.

Opening dates of the A8

• 1956: Creation of Escota, a company to be in charge of all the sections from Aix-en-Provence to the Italian Frontier.
• 1961: Opening of the toll sections of Fréjus through Mandelieu-la-Napoule to Cagnes-sur-Mer (exit 46).
• 1969: Opening of the toll section from Roquebrune to the Italian frontier (initially only one carriageway and for lightweight vehicles. Then, in 1970, both carriageways were opened).
• 1971–1974: Staged opening of the sections between Aix-en-Provence and Fréjus.
• 1976: Opening of the section between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Roquebrune (partly one carriageway only—the doubling of some tunnels was completed as late as 1988).

List of junctions

Region	Department	Junction	Destinations	Notes
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	Bouches-du-Rhône	File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg A7 - A8 + Exit 28 : Coudoux	Lyon, Avignon, Nîmes, Barcelone, Salon-de-Provence (A54), Berre-l'Étang, Marignane
			Coudoux, La Fare-les-Oliviers
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Ventabren
		Exit 29 : Aix - ouest	Aix-en-Provence - Jas-de-Bouffan, Encagnane, Les Milles
		File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg  A51 & RN 296 - A8	Marseille - nord, Marignane, Les Milles
			Gap (A51), Aix-en-Provence - Encagnane, Avignon
		Exit 30/30a/30b : Aix - Pont-de-l'Arc	Aix-en-Provence - centre, Les Milles, Luynes
		Exit 31 : Aix - Val-Saint-André	Aix-en-Provence, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Aubagne
		Exit 32 : Cannet-de-Meyreuil	Fuveau, Trets, Rousset, Meyreuil, Gardanne
		File:Péage.png Péage de La Barque
		File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg A52 - A8	Aubagne, Toulon, Marseille - centre (A50)
		File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de Rousset (Westbound) File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de la Sainte-Victoire (Eastbound)
	Var	Exit 33 : Pourrières	Rousset, Pourrières, Trets
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Saint-Hilaire (Westbound) File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Barcelone (Eastbound)
		Exit 34 : Saint-Maximin	Barjols, Tourves, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Auriol
		File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de Cambarette (Westbound) File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire des Terrasses de Provence (Eastbound)
		Exit 35 : Brignoles	Le Val, Brignoles
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Candumy (Westbound) File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Roudaï (Eastbound)
		File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg A57 - A8	Toulon, Hyères (A570), La Garde Freinet, Vidauban, Le Luc, Le Cannet des Maures
		File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de Provence Verdon (Westbound) File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de Vidauban sud (Eastbound)
		Exit 36 : Le Muy	Golfe de Saint-Tropez, Draguignan, Sainte-Maxime, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, Vidauban, Les Arcs, Le Muy
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Jas Pellicot (Westbound) File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire du Canaver (Eastbound)
		Exit 37 : Puget-sur-Argens	Fréjus - Quartiers ouest, Puget-sur-Argens, Roquebrune-sur-Argens
		File:Péage.png Péage du Capitou
		Exit 38 : Fréjus	Fréjus - centre, Saint-Raphaël
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire du Reyran (Westbound ; reserved for heavy goods vehicles)
		File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de l'Estérel (Westbound)
		Exit 39 : Les Adrets	Fayence, Les Adrets-de-l'Estérel
	Alpes-Maritimes	Exit 40 : Mandelieu	Théoule-sur-Mer, Mandelieu-la-Napoule - centre
		Exit 41 : La Bocca	Mandelieu - est, Aéroport Cannes-Mandelieu, Cannes - centre, Cannes - ouest
		Exit 42 : Mougins	Grasse, Le Cannet, Cannes - centre, Mougins
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire du Piccolaret (Westbound)
		File:Péage.png Péage d'Antibes
		Exit 44 : Antibes	Antibes, Sophia Antipolis, Vallauris, Golfe-Juan, Juan-les-Pins
		Exit 46 : Villeneuve-Loubet - Plage	Bouches du Loup, Villeneuve-Loubet
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire des Bréguières nord (Westbound) File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de la Côte d'Azur (Eastbound)
		Exit 47 : Villeneuve-Loubet / Cagnes-sur-Mer - ouest	Villeneuve-Loubet - centre, Vence, Cagnes-sur-Mer
		Exit 48 : Cagnes-sur-Mer - est	Vence, Cagnes-sur-Mer
		Exit 49 : Saint-Laurent-du-Var	Saint-Laurent-du-Var
		Exit 50 : Nice - ouest	Nice - centre, Nice - Promenade des Anglais
		Exit 51 : Nice - Aéroport	M.I.N., Centre Administratif, Aéroport Nice - Côte d'Azur, Nice - Saint-Augustin
		Exit 51.1 : Carros	Carros, Digne-les-Bains, Grenoble
		File:Péage.png Péage de Nice - Saint-Isidore
		Exit 52 : Nice - Saint-Isidore	Carros, Nice - Saint Isidore, Stade de Nice, Grenoble, Digne-les-Bains
		Exit 54 : Nice - Quartier nord	Nice
		Exit 55 : Nice - est	Nice - L'Ariane, Port, La Trinité
		Exit 56 : Monaco (A500)	Monaco - centre, Cap d'Ail
		File:Péage.png Péage de La Turbie
		Exit 57 : La Turbie	La Turbie, Èze, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
		File:Aire de pique-nique.png Aire de Via Julia Augusta (Westbound)
		Exit 58 : Beausoleil / Monaco - est  + File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png Aire de la Riviera Française (Eastbound)	Monaco - est, La Turbie - nord, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Beausoleil
		Exit 59 : Menton	Menton, Sospel
French File:Flag of France.svg - Italian Border File:Flag of Italy.svg ; becomes External links Autoroute A8 on Saratlas