Boulevard Périphérique

Boulevard Périphérique is a ring road ( _fr. périphérique) around Paris. It is a frequently congested stretch of 4- to 8-lane dual carriageway, and is one of the busiest freeway/motorways in Europe, with traffic between 1.1 and 1.2 million vehicles per day in 2002.

Travelling speed on the road is limited to 80 km/h (50 mph). It does not feature a hard shoulder, and gives priority to entering vehicles. It was built in the early 1970s on the empty space left abandoned after the destruction of the defense wall of Paris in the 1920s, and completed on April 25, 1973. It is the generally-accepted boundary between the city proper (approx. 2 million inhabitants) and the suburbs (more than 9 million inhabitants), as it is situated along Paris's administrative limit (excluding the Paris heliport and the outlying woods of Boulogne and Vincennes).

When travelling at the legal speed limit, it takes 26 minutes and 17 seconds to complete a full circuit. The street racer Ghost Rider completed a circuit in 9 minutes and 57 seconds.

The "périphérique", commonly referred to as "le périph" by Parisians, is administered by the government of the city of Paris.

tatistics

* road
** traffic in 2002: between 1.1 and 1.2 million vehicles per day: 89% light vehicles, 7% trucks, 4% motorbikes; 25% of the traffic in Paris.
** average trip: 7 km (4.5 miles)
** average speed on working days (7 h-21 h): 43 km/h (26 mph)
** speed limit: 80 km/h (50 mph)
** total length: 35.04 km

List of junctions

Other périphériques

The "périphérique" is the innermost of the Paris four ring road system, including A86 (to be completed in 2010) and the Francilienne (partial).

There are other "périphériques" in France, in Bordeaux, Caen, la Défense, Dijon, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Rennes and Toulouse, often called "rocades".

ee also

*Périphérique
* London's M25 motorway
* Rome's Grande Raccordo Anulare
* Washington, DC's Capital Beltway
* Toronto's Highway 407 ETR
* Moscow's MKAD
* Manchester's M60 motorway