Begun in 2010, hélYce is the name of a project in Saint-Nazaire, intended to avoid congestion in the city centre. It is actually a fast bus service, which makes an interesting alternative to using a car, and one which should meet the population's growing need for mobility.
An enormous building site
Jointly funded by the State, the Loire-Atlantique General Administration, the Loire area General Administration and the town of St. Nazaire, the hélYce project has called for a budget of 56 million euros, excluding tax. This huge project's main objective is to respond to the increase in movement within the built-up area of St Nazaire.
New, more comfortable buses have been put into service throughout the project. They have screens which show - in real time - various pieces of useful information for users, such as the remaining journey time, or the name of the next station. The hélYce project has also required the creation of lanes reserved for buses in certain directions, as well as technical adjustments to allow traffic lights to turn green when the bus arrives at some intersections.
Landscaping the route
The hélYce project has considered the aesthetic side too, so that the journey is made as enjoyable as possible for travellers. For this reason, Jaulin Paysage de Carquefou was entrusted with the landscaping of the Herbins roundabout. This roundabout forms part of the major routes in the hélYce project. Once technical work on the Herbins roundabout was complete, Jaulin Paysage carried on with the installation of 4,000 sq. m of synthetic turf.
Considering the irregular relief of the ground making up the roundabout, laying the artificial lawn was a difficult task, which called upon all the expertise of the Jaulin Paysage team. Exelgreen also participated in this installation by providing a specific layout in autocad. The Carquefou company chose Natura Luxury synthetic turf from Exelgreen, for its light green color and its 30mm filament height. After comparing several artificial turfs, this was the product which best responded to the requirements of this hilly area of the Herbins roundabout.
Laying synthetic turf on the Herbins roundabout was the finishing touch for the hélYce project. This artificial turf brings a touch of greenery and freshness to the approach to St Nazaire.