France

France		Area code 33	Common abbreviation F		Last updated 9-10-2008
Road class	Syntax explanation	Administrative subordination	Sub classes	Zones	System	Remarks
European road	E[0-9]<2-3>	Europe	See Europe
Motorway (Autoroute)	A[0-9]<1-4>{[ab]}	national	1-/2-d	first digit of 2- to 4-d numbers	spider-web with derivation	Exit numbers: sequential
			3-/4-d			only known 4-d: 1086, 1501 and 7109
National road (Route Nationale)	(R)N[0-9]<1-4>{[AER];II;bis}	national	1-27 main radial	class distinction not strict	spider-web	Exit numbers on some roads: sequential
			28-212
			213-999
			4-d
Main departmental road (Route Departementale)	RD[0-9]<1-3>	department (Marne only)	-		derived from former N
Departmental road (Chemin Departemental)	(C)D{N}[0-9]<1-4>{`suffix`}	department	-		sequential	suffixes see below
Special class departmental road	DS{T}[0-9]	department	-		sequential	near Langres and near Verdun
Vicinity road (Chemin Vicinal)	C(V)[0-9]<1-3>{[AEU];bis};(C)V[0-9]<1-3>{[AEU];bis}	community	-		sequential
Local road (?)	[LMT][0-9]	community	-		sequential	Only L number L2
Obsolete numbers (used until 1950's) classed below D:
Chemin de grande communication	G[0-9]<1-3>{`suffix`}	department	-		sequential	suffixes see below
Chemin d'intérêt commun	Ic[0-9]<1-3>{`suffix`}	department	-		sequential	suffixes see below
Route F...	(R)F[0-9]<1-2>	Corse	-		sequential
General description: Motorways: In some cases, motorways have roughly the same route as the national road with the same number, for example the A4 and N4 both link Paris with Strasbourg (though they are more than 50 km apart in between) and the A6 and N6 both Link Paris and Lyon. Another example is the A20. This one was derived from the N20 and therefore it is an exception to the zone system:
1	Around Paris		5	Southeast
2	North		6	Southwest
3	Northeast		7	South centre
4	East		8	West
There are single carriageway motorways. A few A roads even have crossings at grade. See also Route list.
National roads: Numbers 1-17 evolve in clockwise order around Paris, beginning with the N1 to the north. Higher numbers are assigned sequentially, continuing to evolve around Paris (but no longer from Paris or even in the direction of Paris). Numbers 1-192 are generally the most important roads. Numbers 193-200 are on Corse and 201-212 are in the Alps. Any other numbers between 212 and 300 were introduced after the number change of 1973-76 (see History below). Most of them are derived from lower numbers (some of those are A numbers) by adding a multiple of 100 (see route list). Some of the numbers between 300 and 580 are remnants of the old zone system (see below), others are derived from lower numbers. Many N roads today are quite minor (e.g. N544, N545, N546). During its long history, the N road system has become rather inconsistent with many curious special situations, and the rules that can be formulated tend to have strange exceptions. The class distinction for N roads is very loose: it can only be said that numbers up to 212 are generally more important than higher numbers. Some strange examples (see also History):
N128	Only a shortcut to turn right (N100 - D239) at a roundabout (about 200m long)
N220	Not derived from any number nearby but also (probably) not a remnant of the old system.
N501	Does not seem to be an old number but is also not derived from any other number.
Many 3-d numbers are derived from lower numbers (sometimes A) by adding a multiple of 100. In some cases, numbers are derived in another way. Examples:
Number	Derived from	Rule			Remarks
N252	N152	Add multiple of 100 to other N number
N407	N7
N251	N250	Add 1
N371	A71	Add multiple of 100 to motorway (A) number
N442	N44	Add digit at the end
N521	N52				Downgraded to D in 2001
4-d numbers are always derived from 1- to 3-d N numbers, by adding either 1000 or 2000. 1000 is added for new roads (mostly bypasses around cities). The only known exception is the N1453, which used to be the N453. 2000 is added to the number of an old road, when the main road is diverted via a new road. This is not done when a motorway replaces the old road (i.e. where the old N number disappears), except in the case of the N2009 near Millau, which was replaced by the A75.
In many cases, these 4-d N numbers are temporary only. Eventually numbers in the 1000 series are replaced by the original N number and the old road is downgraded to a D road (e.g. the N1176 near Dinan soon became the N176). Numbers in the 2000 series are replaced by D numbers wnding in the same 2 digits (in other words, a multiple of 100 is subtracted). The same number can be used several times. For example, the N2007 is the old N7 in Moulins, Vienne and Roanne. Examples:
Number	Description
N1154	Chartres bypass, linked to N154		present
N2007	Former N7 in Moulins
N1176	Near Dinan, changed to N176		obsolete
N2057	Old N57, changed to D157
See also Route list. Here all known 'parent' routes are indicated.
Departmental roads: Every department has its own system. Numbers are mostly assigned sequentially except for decommissioned national roads. The same derivation as for N roads is sometimes used for D roads: the D1763 is a bypass to the D763. Most N roads are to be transferred to the departments, see history below.
C roads are rarely signposted. Sometimes roads are just indicated as 'C' without a number. Other roads: M and T numbers are near Melun only.
Suffixes of D numbers		The same formats were in use for G and Ic numbers.
The following formats are possible for suffixes:
[Bb]is{2}	Any suffix beginning with a digit has to be superscript, other suffixes may appear as standard text (this is not known).
[A-Za-z]<1-2>
[A-Z][0-9]-[A-Z]
[A-Z][0-9]
[AE]Bis
[Ee][0-9]<1-2>
{B}`Roman numeral`
A TER
TER
n	Important former N road (only in Bouches-du-Rhône)
In the department Eure-et-Loir, suffixes are of the form		.[0-9]<1-2>
Road signs:
Road type	Background	Text	Road numbers
			Class	Shape	Background	Text
Motorways	Blue	White	A	Rectangle	Red	White
Main roads (N or D)	Green	White	N	Rectangle	Red	White
			D	Rectangle	Yellow	Black
Local roads (N, D or C)	White	Black	C	Rectangle	White	Black
History: Motorways: Until about 1985, there were second class motorways with numbers with prefix B, C and F. These were derived from A numbers with the same digits (e.g. A52 > C52, A15 > F15). Presumably, D and E were not used because of duplication with Departmental and European roads, respectively. They were later changed, mostly to 3-d A numbers. For example, the F15 (derived from the A15) became the A115. Other examples are B35, B52, C52, B61 and B86. There used to be a zone 9 between Paris and Caen but the numbers were changed and the area became part of zone 1. There were also a few 4-d numbers but these have all been changed to 3-d numbers. All 3-d numbers beginning with 9 were also changed so currently there are only numbers under 900. See route list.
Routes Nationales: The numbering system was introduced in 1811 by Napoleaon. Numbers appeared on signs around 1912. It was one of the first in the world. Many of today's N roads still have the same approximate route as 90 years ago, and some are even the same as in 1811, though most of them have been realigned. Until 1976 there was a zone system for numbers 301-853. Zones were determined by the first digit and there was not much overlap. Zones evolved in clockwise order around Paris, though there were only numbers beginning with 3, 4 and 7 near Paris:
3	North
4	East
5	Southeast
6	Southwest
7	West
8	Between Paris and zone 7 (800-841); Corse (843-853)
Between 1973 and 1976, many national roads were transferred to departmental administration. In 1976 there were about 29000 km of national roads left. Very often the first digit was changed to 9 (e.g. N552 became D952). Therefore, D numbers in the 900 series are often more important than others, but there are too many exceptions to say that these form a higher sub class of D numbers. For some the old number was retained but the N was replaced by a D. In the departement Alpes-Maritimes, 2000 was added (e.g. N566 > D2566). Many of the more important roads (with numbers up to 212) were downgraded in a similar way. Some of the less important roads either kept their number (if they were in zones 3, 4 or 5) or were renumbered by changing the first digit in order to avoid numbers over 580 (e.g. N650 became N250). The downgrading was almost finished by 1976 except in the area near Marseille, where some more numbers were downgraded later and near Paris, where many were given a D number around 1995. Until the present, there are still many more N numbers near Paris and Marseille for minor roads. Near Paris, they often stop at departement borders (e.g. the N303). It can be expected that the remaining parts will also become D roads in future. After the downgrading of national roads, the highest existing number was N580. In recent years, some relatively minor roads have been given an N number (for example, the N544 near Fos-sur-Mer). Until about 2000, there were no 3-d N numbers over 580. Then the numbers N814 (ring Caen) and N999 (link between A 4 and A199) were introduced. The 4-digit N numbers are also a recent phenomenon, introduced around 1990. The N141 Limoges - Clermont-Ferrand was one of the most important N roads that were downgraded. It became the D941 but in the mid 1990's it was changed back to N141 except near Clermont-Ferrand (in the departement Puy-de-Dôme). Another interesting case is the N104. This was originally the route Aubenas - Loriol-sur-Drome but the number was later assigned to the southeastern part of the Paris outer ring road (La Francilienne). Apparently the old N104 was changed into N304 but part of it still bears its old number, perhaps simply because signs have not yet been replaced. In 2006, a major new downgrading operation was started. According to the Michelin atlas, only the following departments have started to implement this, according to these rules:
Number	Department		Nx becomes D		Remarks
06	Alpes-Maritimes		6000 + x
09	Ariège		800 + x
10	Aube		600 + x
11	Aude		6000 + x
12	Aveyron		700 + x		Only D840
13	Bouches-du-Rhône		x or xn		Important roads get suffix n
14	Calvados		600 + (x mod 100)
17	Charente-Maritime		x
18	Cher		2000 + x
21	Côte-d'Or		900 + x
23	Creuse		800 + x		Only D941
24	Dordogne		6000 + x
30	Gard		6000 + x
36	Indre		800 + x		Only D943
37	Indre-et-Loire		900 + (x mod 100)
44	Loire-Atlantique		x
48	Lozère		800 + (x mod 100)
51	Marne		x		for x<10
			900 + x		for x>10
53	Mayenne		x mod 100
60	Oise		1000 + x
61	Orne		900 + (x mod 100)
62	Pas-de-Calais		900 + x
65	Hautes-Pyrénées		800 + (x mod 100)
66	Pyrénées-Orientales		900 + (x mod 100)
69	Rhône		300 + x or 400 + x
80	Somme		1000 + x
83	Var		x or Nx		Important roads get DN numbers
85	Vendée		x
86	Vienne		900 + (x mod 100)
All RD roads used to be N roads. Most of them have recently been replaced by D roads. Most frequent schemes: Nxy > RDxy > RD9xy > D9xy N3xy > RD3xy > RD9xy > D9xy There is also one new RD road, which is actually a minor road. Overview:
1970	1991	1997	2004	Remarks
N3	RD3	RD3	D3
D3	D3	RD4	RD4	Minor road Châlons-en-Champagne - Sompuis
N31	RD31	RD931	D931
N33	RD33	RD933	D933
N51	RD51	RD951	D951
N77	RD77	RD977	D977
N366	RD366	RD966	D966
N373	RD373	RD373	D373
N380	RD380	RD980	D980
N382	RD382	RD982	D982
N385	RD385	RD985	D985
N386	RD386	RD386	D386
N394	RD394	RD994	D994	West of N3
N394	RD394	RD994	RD994	East of N3
N395	RD395	RD995	D995
N396	RD396	RD396	RD396	Only unchanged RD number since 1991
N402	RD402	RD902	RD902
Lower classes: All Ic and G roads were given D or C numbers, probably in the 1950's.
Sources and links: Various maps and atlases, personal experience Official sites: Ministère de l'Equipement, du Logement, des Transports et du Tourisme Other links: Portail SARA, Sites Amoureux des Routes et Autoroutes SARatlas autoroutes-news Motorway construction projects Association pour la Route Centre Europe Atlantique new east-west routes Cofiroute ASFA ESCOTA Automobi.free.fr links Old maps by Pascal Pannetier Abrégé d'histoire des routes by Jean Billard Revue Générale des Routes - news Societe des autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhones Les autoroutes Rhone-Alpes Societe des autoroutes Paris-Normandie Societe des autoroutes du sud de la France Ressources d'infos sur les routes France Autoroutes contains thousands of pictures Specific roads: A41 A51 A65 Cofiroute A86 ouest A88 A89 N19 Other pages within this site: Road sign colours Europe Mayotte New Caledonia Motorway route list National roads route list Pictures: Road pictures France

DOM-TOM (Departements d'outre-mer et territoires d'outre-mer)

Most French overseas departments have their own N and D roads, with 1-digit N numbers and 1- to 3-digit D numbers. Overseas territories mostly do not have road numbers. New Caledonia has a different road numbering system and Mayotte has CCT numbers.

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