Overview
- The judge of liberties and detention in Toulouse ordered the immediate halt of works conducted outside the footprint covered by the environmental authorization.
- Prefects in Tarn and Haute-Garonne had already restricted activity on the disputed areas, and the French Biodiversity Office is tasked with verifying compliance on site.
- The suspension concerns peripheral zones used for equipment storage and work camps, while construction on the authorized alignment continues under a December 30 administrative ruling.
- The prosecutor cited a 'serious disturbance' to environmental public order, with disputed surfaces reported between roughly 29 and 51 hectares, and opponents estimating about 10.7% of the project lies outside the legal framework.
- Atosca said it will comply and described the overreach as limited to edges of the site, while maintaining a target to open the motorway in autumn 2026.