A28 Autoroute long Queue - Where exactly

[Johno]

Where/which exact peage was the queue in to last year as one option is the autoroute home, but I intend to plan a route for the Sat Nav that avoids that peage, but can't remember exactly where it is.

[E36GUY]

It's just south of Rouen but I couldn't give you the location exactly

[Johno]

Where the A28 joins the A13 just south west of Rouen then I think would be the one . ..

Time for some route planning around it then . . .

[dienamic]

You can come off the exit before and take the N-road to Rouen. Last year it was signposted in french to use that one. we ignored it like everyone else and sat in traffic for 3 hours. Soooooo frustrating looking at an alternative route the other side of a fence knowing you're gonna miss the chunnel back!!

[Johno]

Exactly . . . We normally stay in Rouen on the way back so not quite as frustrating, but this year we may stay at a mates place near Abbevile.

So planning on TomTom's itinerary planning to do a route that takes us off there regardless of whether there is traffic or not as the change in route isn't that far anyway . .

In fact I currently have 4 different options for coming home from Le Mans !

[Longers]

Might sound like a daft question cos I think I know what the answer will be, but....
How busy does the peage get at the bottom of the A28 going north after the race? Am staying in Sees Sunday eve so thinking of taking the scenic route to the west of the motorway which will be slightly longer driving time but should be less traffic. Any thought?

Cheers,
Longers

[The Leaper]

Longers,

The peage you are referring to can get seriously busy. The problem is the peage for the A28 north is shared with the autoroute to Paris as well (after the peage you make a right for the ramp to the A28 north), so as you can imagine with all the Paris locals heading back it get's bad. Some years ago it was so bad my son and I gave up and managed to get off and get on the old N138 north by heading west on the autoroute then north on another road then east to Alencon. Overall, worth avoiding if travelling Sunday after the race but usually OK on the Monday morning.

This year I'm based in Falaise for the Friday and Sunday nights and I've already decided to keep off the A28 and use the N138 instead.

R.

[Longers]

Thanks for the info. I guessed that would be the case!

See you on the N138 then

[jamiebae]

Last year we stayed Sunday night and the only traffic we encountered was at the Boulogne peage before turning off to get the boat. This year we're going to spend Sunday night near Mont St Michel but I expect we'll head cross country to get there and avoid the motorways entirely.

[DJFish]

Longers said:

See you on the N138 then

Please remember that the Gendarmerie will be there too, ready to ping all the Brits trying to make their crossings.

They certainly were last year!

[Johno]

My favoured option so far this year is to get away from Houx going east, avoiding the autoroute, then cross country north picking up the N138 about 10km north of Le Mans.

Then drive all the way up to Rouen, picking the along the river route rather than the normal route through town.

Thus avoiding the autoroute queue in Le Mans, the peage queue onto the A28 even with a transponder and the A28/A13 queue SW of Rouen.

Then we have a couple of other variations on the theme . .

[williamp]

Another route is leave Le Mans, head toward Paris. At Chartre, head North through Dreux and Evreux and onto Rouen that way. OK you dont have the fun convoys of the Alencon route, but you dont have the traffic either...

...or the Gendarmes...

YOu can also go through Rouen a different way, avoiding most of the traffic. And you still have the fun convoyrs north of Rouen- where there will be Gendarmes

[Johno]

Looked at the Chartre route, was only concerned about the traffic on the autoroutes heading towards Paris really, but perhaps I'll add that as another route.

For the last couple of years we've got stuck in Le Mans and at the peage at Rouen.

Decided we wanted to run up the N138 again as we kinda miss the convoys and the waving locals so trying to find routes that avoid the autoroute completely south of Rouen and get us onto the N138 further up, sort of best of both worlds

[legturbo]

so whats it like on a monday morning then? is this queue just on the sunday evening?

are there any hold ups getting away from the campsites too? or relatively free flowing?

[Easy_Targa]

No trouble at all getting out of Tetre Rouge on Monday. Easy access to motorway network but then ditto everyone else about the A28 toll queue. Cheesed off about constant pressure from Jean Claudes and planning a little more "n route" this year.

[Mello]

The Rouen section (where it merges with the route to Paris) is always a bit busier than everywhere else, but especially so on a Sunday night when all the Parisiens are heading home after the weekend. On a Monday it wont be too bad... it is always the most clogged bit of the journey though

I am going to go via Caen (A29/A13) this year as I get pissed off with Rouen and the queues.

[dienamic]

One benefit of coming back on the Monday last year...the rain had stopped!!


This was md afternoon about 3 miles from the toll

Edited by dienamic on Saturday 17th May 14:55

[millband]

After reading this thread with interest I've updated my google Le Mans map with where I think I need to turn off to avoid the queue. It's the last placemark in the list on the left. Have I got it right?

Cheers,

Steve

[The Leaper]

Millband, I think you have got it right. I think there is a toll after the one you have indicated and after that toll it's on to the east west autorout A13 south of Rouen. Someone else may also confirm this. However, now the beans have been spilt on this I suppose there will be a queue at this peage too! R.

[millband]

Cheers. I don't think the queues will change too much - plenty of people read this forum, but not the whole 60,000 Brits who go to LM