Facelift for the Promenade des Anglais

A pontoon stretching out into the waters, a wooden walkway and an update on lighting as well as the planting of a number of palm trees are all part of the new plans to renovate the Promenade des Anglais. Copyright: Ville de Nice

The stunning modifications will light up Nice's waterfront and reaffirm it as a major attraction in the city. While no official price tag has been added to the ambitious plans, local journalists are already referring to it as the "biggest project of Estrosi's mandate". 

"We have been working on this project since 2010 and we now have a team of architects headed by Jean Nouvel working on the designs," said the mayor at a press conference on the Promenade on Thursday 28th June. "Work could begin in 2013," continued Estrosi, "and be finished by 2017."

"The project will reduce traffic while maximising the area's potential," he told reporters, "it will allow Nice to improve its events space while creating greenery and peace."

Security along the seafront is one of the mayor's top priorities and he pledged to replace the current lighting fixtures that date back to 1931.

With so many other monumental construction works already in process in Nice, the renovations on the Promenade will be made in two separate stages. The first will begin in the east corner of the Baie des Anges at Quai des Etats Unis and continue along to the bottom of Boulevard Gambetta. Nice will have to wait before it can improve the second stretch to Ferber as heavy work on the city's Ligne 2 tramway may cause disruption and chaos for transport in the western side of the bay.

To see more pictures of the promenade upgrade, visit our Picture Galleries.

Elsa Carpenter