Redevelopment of Quai Marquis d’Aiguillon: Initial Work to Begin in October

The first phase of work to regenerate Quai Marquis d’Aiguillon quay will begin with the demolition of Shed 12. This will be followed in March 2027 by work to reinforce the quay. Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port is thereby undertaking measures to make this infrastructure safe, so that it can be opened up to the people of Nantes, who will once again be able to walk between the City Centre and the Jardin Extraordinaire Garden.

October 2026 marks the start of work on the redevelopment of Quai Marquis d’Aiguillon quay. This will be followed by the future development of the "Port of Call" project, due to open by 2033, which will include large green spaces and open-air relaxation areas for the people of Nantes, a commercial hub with restaurants, offices, services and retail outlets, as well as a hotel.

The first phase of the site’s redevelopment will begin in October, starting with the demolition of Shed 12, which is expected to take nine weeks. This work project has been entrusted to Prémys, which will carry out the operations in stages using a 20-tonne excavator. The main materials – concrete rubble, timber and metal – will be recycled at sorting centres, with the materials transported by lorry via the road network. Traffic will continue to flow as normal on the adjacent avenue throughout the duration of the work.

Construction of a Cut-Off Barrier as of March 2027

This first stage will be followed by a year-long programme to consolidate the quay, starting in March 2027. Commissioned in 1936, the quay is now in a state of serious disrepair and needs to be reinforced. Some sections are, in fact, closed to the public. This phase will notably involve the construction of an underground pile-and-wall cut-off barrier along the entire 450-metre length of the quay. This measure involves installing a watertight barrier designed to prevent erosion of the embankment. Several hundred new reinforced concrete piles, reaching depths of up to 16 metres, will thereby serve to reinforce the rear of the quay. A drilling method will be used instead of the pile driving technique, in order to minimize noise disturbance for local residents. In addition, this work will require the felling of eleven trees this winter, as they are situated along the route of the cut-off barrier. Trees will be replanted in this area the following autumn as a compensation measure. They will complement the large-scale landscaping planned as part of the "Port of Call" project, forming an extension to the green spaces of the future esplanade from Nantes City Centre to the Jardin Extraordinaire Garden.