With the approach of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, major construction projects are expected to begin in the capital as early as March.
The countdown is accelerating. In 240 days, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be launched in Paris. Behind the scenes, the organizing committee is active.
On Wednesday, November 29, Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nunez presented vehicle travel restrictions during the games at a press conference.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee, revealed the initial phases of the operations that will affect vehicle traffic in the capital.
The Concorde closed to traffic starting June 1
The Place de la Concorde will be “completely closed to traffic to prepare for the competitions” starting June 1, announced Tony Estanguet. In this initial zone, operations will begin “at the beginning of March,” continued the director of the organizing committee.
Initially, this will not affect traffic. However, in early April, the preparation work will enter another phase. “There will be an extension,” warned the director of the organizing committee.
The dismantling of temporary infrastructures “will begin shortly after the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games with a partial reopening to traffic starting September 7,” reported Tony Estanguet.
The end of the project is scheduled for “late October.” These assembly and dismantling projects will take place in several locations in the capital, as most of the competitions are being held in the center of Paris.
“Seven temporary venues will be assembled and then dismantled,” detailed Tony Estanguet. “Equivalent to a Stade de France with about 70,000 seating places that will be built.”
“A few weeks or even a few months” will be required for the construction and deconstruction of the venues, warned the former Olympic athlete.
Work beginning in March at the Trocadéro
In the area of the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower, and the Champ-de-Mars, operations will also begin in early March. “10% and 20% of the Trocadéro area will be occupied” at the start of the project.
Then, work will gradually expand “to equip the entire area, which will be dense during the games,” explained Tony Estanguet. This area will be one of the main hubs of the capital for the Olympics since it will host some competitions, the opening ceremony, and the champions’ park at the Trocadéro throughout the international sports event.
The dismantling will begin the day after the end of the Olympic Games at the Trocadéro. For the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars, the project will take longer. Tony Estanguet announced “an occupation until the end of October.”
Mid-April, projects launched at the Invalides
“The work will start a little later” in the area that includes the Invalides, the Grand Palais, and the Pont Alexandre III. “We are talking about mid-April for the start of the Paris 2024 operations on the lawns of the Invalides,” detailed the director of the Olympic committee.
The initial stages of the project will “not impact traffic.” Then, from May 17, the Pont Alexandre III and the Cours La Reine will be closed “to be completely ready for the games.” The dismantling of the infrastructures will start from September 9 and will extend until the end of October, reported Tony Estanguet.
Finally, the opening ceremony, a showcase of France to the world, will also disrupt vehicle traffic in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Games. Assembly operations on the lower quays will begin “in early July.” “We will occupy a good number of bridges,” warned the director of the Olympic committee.
Dismantling operations will begin progressively from the beginning of August.
