Urban Planning Department announces scheme to revamp outdated infrastructure on Boulevard du Jardin Exotique
The Department of Urban Planning has announced that it will undertake extensive renovations to the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique starting from next week. The news was made public at a press conference on Monday, at which Jean-Luc Puyo, director of Urban Planning in Monaco, outlined the upcoming plans.
The conference was attended by representatives of all of the major companies which will work together to complete the renovations. These included Monaco Telecom, the Monegasque Company of Sanitation (SMA), the Monegasque Company of Electricity and Gas (SMEG), the Monegasque Company of Waters (SMEAUX) and public works contracting outfit Sivia’M.
“These operations concern the renovation of the various networks [on the Boulevard], many of which are obsolete (most of them date back to the 1950s) and undersized. [The work] has now become indispensable and will be carried out in stages and the methods used will limit the impact on the traffic and noise,” Puyo told the delegation.
The principal measures that have been identified as necessary to the modernisation, reinforcement and security of the area are as follows:
- Pre-emptive replacement of a large section of the electricity network
- Boosting power supply capacity for the electricity network
- Creation of a rain drainage network distinct from the area’s wastewater network
- Renovation of the existing Monaco Telecom infrastructure
- Removal of all telephone cables that are currently in front of buildings
- Installation of new cables (such as optical fibre) to facilitate implementation of new technologies
- The replacement of a public water pipeline to safeguard its longevity
The project has been on the government’s agenda for two years now, but they were forced to wait until the construction of L’Engelin building, Sainte-Dévote pedestrian walkway and Prince Albert II tunnel had been completed. The opening of the latter has reduced congestion in the area by 50%, and though Puyo acknowledged the work would temporarily exacerbate traffic, he insisted it was unavoidable.
“We are well aware of the impact they will have on traffic in the Principality, but the consequences of our inaction could be worse than the inconvenience caused by their implementation,” Puyo explained. The work schedule is expected to be completed in eight phases over six months, beginning on Monday 8th October and finishing in time for the Monte-Carlo Grand Prix next year.