What if I told you that Boulevard Laurent Bonnevay, this bustling thoroughfare, began as a solution to a rapidly growing Lyon? It is more than just a road. It is a testament to urban planning. It is a response to the needs of a city on the rise.
Back in the early 20th century Lyon was expanding eastward. Villages became towns. Planners worried about the unorganized growth. They looked to Vienna for inspiration. Vienna replaced its walls with a grand boulevard called the Ring. Lyon decided to do the same.
The idea emerged in 1920. By 1928, the Rhone General Council decided to act. They would tear down the old ramparts between Villeurbanne and Saint-Fons. In their place, they would build a “boulevard de Ceinture” or beltway. This new road would connect all the routes into Lyon. It would improve traffic flow. It would ensure a more organized suburban development.
Venissieux welcomed the project initially. The city saw it as a rational solution. However, concerns soon arose. The boulevard would stretch from the Tête d’Or park to the future Gerland port. It would be 13788 meters long. Its width would reach 55 meters. The plans included large green spaces and a massive roundabout in Parilly. There would be separate roadways for cars and horse-drawn carriages. Gardens, trees, flowerbeds and playgrounds were also planned.
The municipality realized the negative consequences. Many houses would be destroyed. Residents of Parilly protested. Their homes were barely built and now they faced eviction. Mr. Lamotte for example was a sculptor whose atelier was threatened. He would no longer be able to create his art.
Despite the protests, the project moved forward. Mr. Traeger and Madame Della Bella were the first to sell their land in 1929. Expropriations followed until 1934. Construction began in 1931. It was during the Great Depression. The General Council hired unemployed workers. They used wagons, horse carts and hand tools. In 1933, 319 workers toiled on the project. They dug the trenches for the road by hand.
By 1938, Laurent Bonnevay could see his work partially open. The children’s gardens were gone. But the roadways, squares and plane trees marked the eastern Lyon landscape. The press praised the ring road. It hosted motorcycle races in 1937. It even hosted French auto championship races in 1947.
In 1960, the boulevard was named after Laurent Bonnevay. He was the president of the General Council. He was considered the father of the project. It took at least 60 years before talks of completing the ring arose.
Today Boulevard Laurent Bonnevay stands as a vital part of Lyon. It is a reminder of the city’s growth. It is a reminder of the challenges of urban planning. Next time you travel on the Boulevard Laurent Bonnevay remember its origins. Think of the workers who built it by hand. Appreciate the vision of Laurent Bonnevay.