Etoile eco-district: the footbridge project linking Annemasse and Ambilly has been validated by Annemasse Agglo

At the beginning of January 2023, Annemasse Agglo, in agreement with the municipalities of Annemasse, Ambilly and Ville-la-Grand, validated the AVP (pre-project studies) for the railway crossing footbridge which will link Annemasse and Ambilly no later than 2026 as part of the construction of the Etoile eco-district.

Insertion of the future railway crossing footbridge between Annemasse and Ambilly - © Agence D&A – Lylo

This eco-neighborhood led by UrbanEra, the developer of Bouygues Immobilier, and designed by the D&A agency (Devillers et Associés), aims to create a heart of the agglomeration bringing together the municipalities of Annemasse, Ambilly and Ville-la-Grand around a transport hub and to offer a pleasant living environment to its inhabitants with islands of greenery and 3 hectares of green spaces.

Accessible to active modes of transport, this footbridge, approximately 107 meters long, will be equipped with a staircase and a lift at each end, overlooking the Placette Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz on the city side of Annemasse and at the level of the future. Jardin Ferroviaire on the town side of Ambilly.

In 2023 and 2024, PRO phase studies (project) will be carried out (production of technical plans, shapes of the various elements of the construction, nature and characteristics of the materials, colors, conditions of implementation, etc.) and the Dossier of Business Consultation will be drafted to launch the consultation. Work is scheduled to start in 2025 for commissioning at the end of 2026.

A flexible geometry for a work perfectly integrated into the existing one

In addition to responding to the issue of a smooth, secure and direct link between the northern and southern part of the heart of the agglomeration above the railway line, the project management consortium formed by D&A and C&E Ingénierie has provided particular attention to the insertion of the work in its environment, in connection with the large landscape. Its route alternates slight curves and counter-curves as well as straight sections in order to adapt to the geometry of the different spaces crossed.

Thus, coming from Annemasse, the footbridge first fits into the plot of the Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz square which will be adapted to integrate the structure: relocation of certain lighting and enlargement of a part planted with around the future staircase.

Then, above the railway tracks, the footbridge will sway slightly to join the greenway of the future railway garden which faces it on the Ambilly side and whose accesses will be located at the edge of the railway tracks to be as far away as possible from the facades of future buildings.