Summer 2024: Colas at the Top of its Game
Something big is afoot in the French capital… and beyond! From downtown Paris to its suburbs, from Marseille in the south to Épinal in the east, from the river Seine to the Mediterranean Sea, from town to country... Colas’ teams have already been very busy in the last few years working to deliver facilities worthy of the international sports event that will keep France buzzing for several weeks. Transport infrastructures, sports facilities, engineering structures, buildings: all of the Group’s expertise has been channeled into helping make sure sports fans from across the world enjoy a memorable experience.
Outside the mythical Stade de France stadium, the entire Seine-Saint-Denis area, in the northern suburbs of Paris, will be the focus of the world's attention. As people there prepare to welcome delegations, sports events, journalists and tourists, Colas has had the opportunity to showcase its talents, developing infrastructures and facilitating travel between the different sites.
In Le Bourget, for example, Colas Bâtiment has built an eco-friendly multisports complex. Having won the bid as general contractor, Colas carried out all of the works, including the structure and timber frame, roads and main services, and landscaping. Located within an existing school and sports complex, this new center will host climbing events before being turned over to school pupils, clubs and local associations. In a neighborhood where there is an acute shortage of sports facilities, the construction of this type of center is vitally important. The complex has been designed for use well beyond the summer of 2024.
Standing proud just a few meters from the sports center is another flagship Colas creation: a footbridge spanning the A1 highway. For the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists, it links the Le Bourget sports complex to the town of Dugny, where journalists will be housed. For local residents, the bridge promises faster connections between the two towns and promotes active mobility. The eye-catching 100-meter-bridge has been built from timber sourced in French forests. It was largely down to this innovative, low-carbon proposal that the client decided to award the contract to Colas. “The span between two supports is 50 meters”, explains Paul de Saint André, lead construction engineer with Colas’ Civil Engineering division. “Its design, architectural dimension and the materials used make it a prestigious structure!”
Promoting Mobility
Heading further west, the Fluideo solution has been deployed. Designed to optimize truck traffic, it has been used for major projects in the municipalities of Saint-Ouen, Saint-Denis and L’Ile-Saint-Denis, where the athletes’ villages will be located this summer. The objective is to enable companies involved in the works to implement “just-in-time” deliveries, with a view to optimizing costs and schedules, at the same time reducing nuisance and pollution. This regulated last-mile logistics approach preserves quality of life for local residents and limits the environmental impact.
Building a temporary operations center for buses that will transport authorized people throughout the Île-de-France (Greater Paris) region located in Aulnay-sous-Bois, creation of a mixed-development zone in Saint-Denis to accommodate delegations’ coaches, upgrading and development work around Saint-Denis Pleyel railway station and the Gare du Nord railway station in central Paris, and more... The many projects implemented in preparation for the summer ahead illustrate Colas’ mission and the range of its expertise.
The Grand Paris Express is Already Taking Shape
This summer, users will also begin to enjoy the benefits of work carried out by Colas Rail for the Grand Paris Express public transport network project. The line 14 south extension will provide a link between Maison Blanche metro station in Paris and Orly international airport. Tourists will be able to connect to the capital very quickly (16 minutes between the airport and Olympiades metro station). Colas Rail has thus delivered more than 13.4 kilometers (or 8.3 miles) of concrete track for rubber-tired metros and line equipment for the south extension, having already completed the line 14 north extension as far as Saint-Ouen in 2020. Teams have also constructed maintenance and parking tracks for this same line, at the Morangis maintenance and storage center. A key component of the Line 14 extension project, this center will guarantee the reliability of railway equipment.
With the eyes of the world on France, the summer of 2024 promises to be spectacular, thanks in part to the infrastructure and facilities delivered by Colas.
We are proud to be associated with such emblematic projects! Our teams really rose to the challenge.
Rémi Kuchly
Executive VP, Colas France, Île-de-France - Normandy region
Colas in Top Form
In addition to all the projects carried out by Colas Rail, Colas Bâtiment and Colas Génie Civil, as well as the various road profit centers in France, others have been delivered by Premys (asbestos removal and demolition in Paris and Le Bourget), Tersen (earthworks and backfilling in Dugny), Aximum (marking and signage in Saint-Denis and Roissy) and Spac (burial of overhead lines in Saint-Denis, Villeneuve-la-Garenne and L’Ile-Saint-Denis). Between rail, roads, construction, pollution clean-up, earthworks, and more, Colas teams had it covered!
In Epinal, a Whitewater Stadium for all to Enjoy
A “whitewater” facility refers to a watercourse incorporating a large number of rapids, both natural and artificial, that can host sports requiring such a specific environment: canoeing, kayaking, whitewater swimming, rafting, dinghy, surfing, etc. Here, water from the river Moselle is channeled into the basin at varying rates before being returned to its source. A training center for top-level athletes, this site has the capacity to accommodate spectators and organize official international competitions, giving a new dimension to whitewater sports in France. On this exceptional project, Colas highlighted the diversity of its activities by carrying out earthworks, utility networks, concrete works, as well as pollution remediation and the development of the watercourse. It also implemented the low-carbon footprint Urbalith coating. Designed as a multi-activity leisure area with cycling, hiking, and various water sports, the Épinal stadium encourages the development of local tourism. It serves as a showcase for the expertise of Colas teams! In addition, the fire service can also use the Épinal stadium as a training ground for flooding risks, rescuing people from the water, etc. A multitude of uses for the facility opened in July 2022.
A Refurbished Marina in Marseille
The contract to modernize the Roucas-Blanc marina in southern France was awarded to Spac. To protect the water from the southern swell, Colas teams created a fifty-meter-long breakwater made of prefabricated elements. The quayside housing the Technical Center has been extended by a structure built on piles that accommodates a boat careening and lifting area (with a water capture and treatment system), and a refueling station. A pedestrian walkway has been created around the marina to connect the Pôle France Voile sailing center to the new breakwater. Designed to host sailing events, the site will ultimately offer activities accessible to the general public, from introductory courses and lessons for beginners through to options for regular or top-level sailors. Initiations will also be developed aimed at raising awareness of the importance of protecting marine life and the environment in general.
A Public Safety Base
In Saint-Denis, Colas Bâtiment has constructed a building to house police services. The seven-floor facility also incorporates a landing stage, a riverside tower and a phyto-purifying roof, an innovative solution for recycling waste water. Designed to minimize its ecological impact, the project involves the re-use of low-carbon materials and the installation of solar panels. The building will initially serve as a police headquarters during the summer of 2024 before becoming a fire station the following year.
Colas on Track in Liévin
In northern France, Colas won the contract to refurbish the Rollencourt sports complex in Liévin. On the agenda: a brand new athletics track. Teams began by reinforcing the base layer, reusing existing materials with hydraulic binders. They then applied the asphalt mixes, covering them with the very latest synthetic surfacing solution. The stadium, which is used by a number of local clubs, was also able to open its doors to several international delegations for a few days for training sessions.
