On 1 July, Bouygues Construction Services Nucléaires, Bouygues Energies & Services nuclear division, as well as Kraftanlagen Heidelberg and Kraftanlagen Services, in Germany, merged to officially become Bouygues Construction Expertises Nucléaires (BCEN). The reason behind this move was to combine the expertise of the three entities and pool know-how for the nuclear industry. The new organisation empowers synergy and complementarity as keystones for the activity, driven by the ambition to become a front-line player in the nuclear sector. By proposing an integrated and innovative offer, BCEN has the assets to cover all technical fields and showcase its skills where the whole life cycle of facilities is concerned.

Located in the heart of Bordeaux, to the south of the St Jean station, the Palombe Bridge was inaugurated on 1 July. Spanning the railway complex, the bridge eases traffic flow and links the districts of Armagnac and St Jean Belcier. It features a dual-lane system dedicated to cyclists and a pedestrian pathway, as well as double-tracks for buses and a one-way system for vehicles.

Its opening to traffic symbolised the end of several years of commitment for our Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France teams.
 

On 7 July, the north land breakwater and the north open roadstead breakwater were joined on the Port-La-Nouvelle port extension worksite. This stage opened up the way for the final phase of work on the breakwater which will continue up to the last quarter of 2023.

As an energy-transition port, Port-La-Nouvelle is the centre of an ambitious development project aimed at enhancing attractiveness and turning it into a logistic hub for the floating wind turbine industry in the Mediterranean. The port extension is at the core of the project, with the creation of a new 100-hectare basin, including for Bouygues Travaux Publics the construction of the north breakwater which will eventually measure 2,430 metres and the extension of the existing south breakwater for 600 metres.

This summer, Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France teams completed development work on the #31 interchange at the junction between the A16 and RN 42 at St Martin les Boulogne. In particular they constructed:
• Two structures enabling the underpass situated at right angles to the RN 42 to be enlarged to the west and east, as well as joining the existing structure to those of the enlargement. The road system is now open to traffic.
• The civil engineering structure above the RD341E and feeder road E.

On 21 July, teams from the Horizon T3A consortium completed an important stage when they put the first elements of the "Chinese hat" in place at the Pont de Sèvres station on line 15 South of the Grand Paris Express.

Constructed in Montbéliard in the east of France, the 47 prefabricated elements weighing 15 tonnes were shifted into place block by block using an SPMT (Self-Propelled Modular Transporter). Serving as a technical duct, the structure crowns the track areas of the future undergrounds. During the station’s development and outfitting phase, the Chinese hat will be accessed through landing entrances (automatic glass doors) from the platform.

On 2 August, installation began of the first gravity-based foundations of the Fécamp offshore wind farm. 
 
The foundation structures were transferred 3 by 3 by sea-going tugs up to their final location offshore using three cargo barges. These relayed each other between the Bougainville quay up to Fécamp offshore. The world’s largest crane vessel, the Sleipnir, was tasked with putting the foundations in place on the sea bed on previously prepared ground, before ballasting operations were carried out.
 

A major milestone was reached on the crossing worksite which will link the future Aquatic Centre of Saint-Denis to the Stade de France, spanning the A1 motorway. Between 8 and 11 August, the spectacular shifting into place of the walkway was carried out by Bouygues Travaux Publics Région Parisienne teams with the help of our partners. This meticulous operation took just 54 hours, during which the main section weighing 950 tonnes was moved 70 metres above the A1.

Eventually, this pedestrian walkway will link two neighbourhoods previously separated by the motorway, thereby transforming the Plaine Saulnier district and once more creating a link between inhabitants.
 

On 29 August, the last TBM used during phase 3 of the Cairo metro, operated by Bouygues Travaux Publics teams, ceased digging. When it reached the Boulak shaft, this marked the end of tunnelling for the CML3 project, phase 3, in Cairo, Egypt. Two TBMs were needed to complete the three 9.45-m diameter tunnels over a distance of 7 kilometres, in a sandy, silty and clayey environment. The slurry pressure TBMs successively went through the 8 underground stations (entrance and exit under metal cover), the diversion structure and then through 8 auxiliary shafts.

On 29 August, the DREAL (Direction Régionale de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et du Logement – Regional Department for the Environment, Planning and Housing) of Bourgogne Franche Comté entrusted the consortium, of which Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France is the representative, with the development and creation of a dual carriageway for the RCEA (RN70), 2.6 km in length, going through Blanzy. 

These works will eventually make it possible to complete the Paray-Le-Monial / Chalon-sur-Saône journey entirely on dual-carriageway, thereby enhancing safety for this busy, accident-prone main road.

On 11 September, Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France teams carried out a lightning operation on the Pont Neuf reconstruction worksite in Ville-la-Grand. The lateral beam deck was put in place during the time that rail traffic was brought to a halt for 8 hours by the French Rail SNCF Network, during the night. Respectively weighing 650 and 750 tonnes, two cranes were used to hoist and place the 120-tonne, 27-m long deck in place.

Spanning the railway lines, this second bridge is built to enhance comfort and safety for road users, while the existing structure will be set aside for soft transport modes. 

On 13 September, Bouygues Travaux Publics acquired an innovative floating base technology  (Floating Wind Solutions) to accelerate development of offshore wind turbines. This exclusive acquisition enriches Bouygues Travaux Publics’ rollout of infrastructure solutions for offshore wind farms.
 

In September, Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France teams put the beams in place on the Ermenonville structure for the creation of an eco-bridge over the A1 motorway to protect biodiversity.