The 1.6 billion euro French highway outside of France

The most expensive highway France has, will most likely be built in the Indian Ocean. Authorities are very close to signing a deal that will set back the government 1.66 billion euros for just 12 kilometers of highway.

Media across France called the highway stretch “the most expensive road in France” with an unprecedented cost. If the project will carry on, the road will not even be in France, but only belong to the French government. The project features a 12 km highway on the Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Reunion is a French island with a population just shy of 900.000 inhabitants located east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometers away of Mauritius Island.

The road will link Reunion's port with the capital city Saint-Denis. The design features a two-way highway built on columns above the sea. Costs are absolutely jaw-breaking. 133,000 euros per meter and 133 million euros per kilometer. The only problem the French government has is the fact that the final cost might be even bigger as some specialists said. 

This project represents a technical challenge for engineers. The whole structure must withstand waves ten meters high and winds of up to 150 km/h. The current road that follows the same path is closed at least three times a month because of landslides and big waves.