Sanef Transforms France’s First Free-Flow Highway
An article by Benoît Barthélemy, Antoine Perello and Johann Vadelorge, TNP Consultants, published in the white paper “The Mobility Revolution”.
To meet emerging societal expectations, Sanef set itself an ambitious goal in 2024: to modernize the Paris-Normandy highway corridor and create France’s first full-scale free flow highway. This large-scale initiative, carried out with the support of TNP Consultants, aims to smooth traffic flow, cut CO2 emissions, and enhance the attractiveness of the Île-de France and Normandy regions. Traditional tollbooths, once synonymous with the start of a holiday journey, are now perceived as outdated interruptions. As digital payments have become second nature, Sanef began rethinking the highway experience in line with modern mobility habits.
Towards a New Highway Experience
The free-flow model quickly emerged as the ideal solution. Already successfully implemented in countries such as the United States, Norway, and Portugal, this approach enables drivers to travel without slowing down or stopping at tolls.
Specifically, free-flow technology removes physical toll barriers in favor of overhead gantries equipped with intelligent sensors that detect and identify vehicles. Payment is then processed digitally. Several payment methods are available: telepass users are charged automatically, while others can register their license plate and link it to a bank card for seamless debits, or pay online or via Sanef/Sapn partners within 72 hours of using the highway.
While Sanef first introduced free-flow tolling on a small scale in Boulay-Moselle on the A4 back in 2019, the 210 kilometers of the Paris-Normandy highway corridor fully transitioned to free-flow in 2024. The move not only addresses congestion on a heavily used route but also propels French highways toward more sustainable mobility.
“Looking ahead to new mobility models is a major transformational challenge. With this free-flow highway project, Sanef aims to be a frontrunner in reshaping France’s toll network. There’s no doubt that the Paris-Normandy corridor will mark a turning point and become the benchmark for tolling in France”, notes Joselito Bellet, Change Management Lead for Sanef’s free-flow initiative.
A Major Improvement For Drivers
The A13-A14 free-flow project is a sweeping, cross-functional transformation involving the entire Sanef organization. It represents a significant step forward in enhancing the driver experience. The most obvious benefit is improved traffic flow—no more stopping at toll booths, a clear time-saver during peak travel periods. Environmentally, reduced stops mean less fuel consumption and, by extension, lower CO2 emissions.
Ease of use is also central to the project. Automated payments simplify the experience for users. Additionally, driver safety is improved: with no need to choose lanes or manage payment on the fly, the stress of tolling is dramatically reduced.
Building User Trust
To ensure the successful rollout of such a critical system, Sanef engaged TNP for its technical and systems expertise. Since September 2022, Sanef teams have worked hand-in hand with TNP experts across all project phases—steering, design, specification, and testing of the solution.
The year-long design phase focused on defining the system architecture and evaluating the technical and functional feasibility of proposals from various suppliers.
The greatest challenge: coordinating the full-scale deployment of the free-flow system, requiring precise synchronization between all stakeholders to ensure a seamless launch. TNP brings both market and systems expertise, ensuring that the technology delivered by Sanef’s selected vendors meets quality and compliance standards.
The primary goal is to ensure the free-flow solution can effectively manage the heavy traffic volumes on the A13 and A14, which are expected to handle over 8 million users annually. This system must be intuitive and immediately operational for the public.
Although still a new concept in France, free-flow tolling must earn the trust of drivers to gain widespread adoption and public support.
