A7 autoroute

The A7 autoroute (French: Autoroute A7), also known simply as the A7 or, along with the A6, as the Autoroute du Soleil ([otoʁut dy sɔlɛj]; English: Motorway of the Sun), is an autoroute (motorway) in France. It continues the M7 and links Lyon to Marseille. It is 306 km (190 mi) long and forms part of European routes E15, E80, E712, and E714. It is the southern part of the route from Paris (A6) to the Mediterranean.

The part of the road in Marseille was built by the Nazi invaders in 1941.^[1]

The section of the motorway going through Lyon between La Mulatière and Perrache train station has been declassified in 2020, which were downgraded to a fast lane in 2017, have been transformed into an urban boulevard under the name M7 (route métropolitaine 7).^[2]

This autoroute is fairly heavy throughout the year. Much of the transit of heavy goods between northern France and the Benelux countries and Germany and the Mediterranean passes through the Rhône valley, and thus along the A7. Traffic is also generated by local transit around the larger cities of the region (Lyon, Vienne, Valence, Orange, Avignon). During holiday periods, traffic is particularly congested, southbound at the beginning of holidays, northbound at the end. The last week-end of July and the first week-end of August are particularly crowded in both directions; jams can occasionally stretch for hundreds of kilometers.

The section of the motorway going through Lyon between La Mulatière and Perrache train station are in the process of being declassified, with the intent of turning this section into an urban boulevard. To compensate, a new motorway, the A44 will be built bypassing Lyon and connecting to the A7.^[3]