Rue des Bateliers, formerly discreet and dull, is currently under construction to become an emblematic city entrance, combining modernity, vegetation and sustainable mobility. It was only a functional passageway running alongside parking lots and a few green spaces, but by the end of the work in 2025, it will be transformed into a modern axis, designed to restore the balance between motorized vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. More than a simple development, it is a new way of entering Old Lille and accessing the future courthouse which is taking shape.
This ambitious project, launched in the fall of 2023, is part of a vision that is both ecological and urban, promising to redefine this strategic artery. The street, widened thanks to the acquisition of side land, will provide two traffic lanes for buses and cars, secure cycle paths, as well as parking spaces and racks for bicycles. Like Boulevard Carnot, the development includes a complete redevelopment of public lighting and dense vegetation. The objective is twofold: to beautify the space while responding to climatic challenges.
There will be numerous planted areas, creating islands of freshness while facilitating the infiltration of rainwater. In the event of exceptional precipitation, a reservoir under the roadway will be there to prevent overflows. An efficient cycle link between Avenue du Peuple Belge and Boulevard de Coubertin will also complete the whole, thus connecting the district to the city’s main arteries.
More than just a construction site, this renovation is part of the Metropolitan Green Arc, a vast ecological project linking Euralille to La Deûle. This 200-hectare space, shared between Lille and its neighboring municipalities, aims to create a network of green spaces promoting biodiversity and gentle travel.
Rue des Bateliers will become a centerpiece of this ensemble thanks to a varied plant palette, mixing local species and species resistant to climate change. Municipal services are already testing these, proving that this project is as much a response to current needs as it is a vision for the future.
The first phase, devoted to the current development of the street, will end at the beginning of 2025. A second stage will follow, from winter to autumn 2025, with the extension of rue des Bateliers. The latter will make Gandhi Street obsolete, allowing its space to be transformed into a garden, in harmony with the Winston Churchill green plain and the courthouse.
Thus, rue des Bateliers will become more than a city entrance: a true link between nature and urban planning, designed to meet the expectations of users and ecological imperatives. A renaissance that embodies Lille’s ambition for a sustainable and connected future.
