Transport in French Guiana

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Map of French Guiana

Transport in French Guiana consists of transport by road, boat, bus, and airplane. There is a railway line within the Guiana Space Centre to transport spacecraft. The road network is mainly concentrated in the coastal region. The interior of Guiana is accessed by plane or boat. There is one main airport, however there are several smaller airstrips in the interior.

Highways[]

RN1 near Cayenne

As of 2018, there are 440 kilometres of national roads, 408 kilometres of departmental road, and 1,311 kilometres of municipal roads. There is no motorway.[1]

RN1 connects Cayenne with Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.[2] RN2 connects Cayenne with Saint-Georges.[3]

Following a treaty between France and Brazil signed in July 2005, the Oyapock River Bridge over the Oyapock River was built and completed in 2011, becoming the first land crossing ever between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there is a ferry crossing to Albina, Suriname). The bridge was officially opened on 18 March 2017, however the border post introduction on the Brazilian caused additional delays.[4] As of 2020, it possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá, the capital of the state of Amapá in Brazil.[5]

RN3 to Dégrad des Cannes, the main harbour, and RN4 to Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport became departmental routes in 2007, and merely retain the name.[6]

There are plans to built a Route nationale from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Maripasoula,[7] however as of 2021, the road ends south of Apatou.[8]

Departmental roads[]

The most important departmental roads in French Guiana in 2007 are:[9]

Number Start End Comment
RD1 Cayenne Remire-Montjoly Northern route
RD2 Cayenne Remire-Montjoly Southern route
RD5 Macouria (RN1) RN2 Via Montsinéry
RD6 Matoury (RN2) Kaw Via Roura
RD8 Iracoubo (RN1) Mana
RD9 Mana Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (RN1) Via Charvein
RD10 Charvein (RD9) Acarouany
RD11 Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (RN1) Saint-Jean-du-Maroni Continues to Apatou
RD16 Kourou Sinnamary Old route via Guiana Space Centre. RN1 is the main road. RD16 is closed during launches.
RD21 Sinnamary (RN1) Saint-Élie Road ends at Petit-Saut Dam, and a 45 minute ferry is needed to Piste de Saint-Elie near Saint-Nazaire.[10]
RD22 Mana Awala-Yalimapo
RD24 Remire-Montjoly Matoury (RN2)
RD50 Régina (RN2) Cacao
RN3 Cayenne (RN1) Dégrad des Cannes Downgraded to departmental road
RN4 Sainte-Rose-de-Lima (RN2) Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport Downgraded to departmental road

Railways[]

The railway in the Guiana Space Centre

A short railway is used within the Guiana Space Centre (this short railway is for transporting spacecraft inside the base to the launch pad, not for passenger use). The railway is double tracked and used by unpowered rail cars (tanker cars, flatcars and launch table transporter platforms fitted with bogies) and are towed by rubber wheeled vehicles with railway wheels or bogies to ride along the rail tracks.[11]

From 1880s to sometime after 1926 a steam narrow gauge railway was used for gold mines in Saint-Elie[12] and two other lines were partially built and never used.[13]

Two prison railways were built in the 1890s. One line connected Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni. Another line went to Charvein. The railway lines were abandoned after prisons closed and disappeared sometime after 1946.[14]

There are no other railways in French Guiana and none have existed for revenue passenger service, and there are no connections to neighbouring countries.

Airports[]

CASA/IPTN CN-235 taking off from Maripasoula Airport

The main international airport of French Guiana is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport. The secondary international airport is the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Airport.[15]

In October 2020, the Camopi Airport was upgraded for regular passenger transport.[16]

There are six smaller restricted airports:[17]

Public transport[]

The CACL (Communauté d’Agglomération du Centre Littoral) provides bus service for the urban area of Cayenne and its suburbs. As of 2021, there are six urban bus lines. School transport is also handled by CACL.[18]

Since early 2010, an agreement was established between the General Council, responsible for organizing transport between the towns, and Taxi Co. The new public service became known as TIG (Long Distance Transport of Guyana).[19]

As of 2021, TIG provides nine bus lines to towns outside the urban area of Cayenne.[20]

Harbours[]

Degrad des Cannes

The main harbour is Degrad des Cannes. The harbour was built in 1972, and handles all international cargo from and to French Guiana. In 2007, the port handled about 700,000 tonnes of cargo. The port also includes as a marina.[21]

Other harbours include Cayenne, Kourou, Larivot in Matoury, and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.[22]

References[]

  1. ^ "Document Général d'Orientations Guyane 2018-2022" (PDF). PRÉFET DE LA RÉGION GUYANE (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ^ Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement durable, des Transports et du Logement (2010). "La sécurité routière en Guyane" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Saint-Georges". Maires 973 (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Ponte entre Brasil e União Europeia é aberta no Amapá após 6 anos pronta". Amapá (in Portuguese). 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  5. ^ "Le pont de l'Oyapock inauguré et officiellement ouvert à la circulation". Guyane la 1ère (in French). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Le réseau routier national de la Guyane". DGTM Guyane (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Route de l'intérieur : de rendez-vous manqués en promesses non tenues". Guyane, le Première (in French). 5 May 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  8. ^ "La route d'Apatou raccommodée". Guyane la Première (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Réseau routier départemental" (in French). 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ "La barrière de la discorde à Saint-Elie". France TV Info (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/frenchguiana04.htm
  12. ^ http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/frenchguiana03.htm
  13. ^ http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/frenchguiana02.htm
  14. ^ http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/frenchguiana02.htm
  15. ^ "French Guiana". Airport Code (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. ^ "La piste d'atterrissage de Camopi déclarée conforme : les travaux ont coûté 750 000 euros". 21 March 2021 (in French).
  17. ^ "Find all airports worldwide". Airport Code (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Transports". City of Cayenne (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Transport Iterurbain de la Guyane (TIG)" (in French). 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-18. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  20. ^ "L'avis du Petit Futé sur TIG (TRANSPORT INTERURBAIN GUYANAIS)". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Port of Degrad des Cannes". World Port Source. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  22. ^ "French Guiana". World Port Source. Retrieved 21 March 2021.

External links[]

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