As in the north on the Courbevoie side, the transformation of Boulevard Circulaire continues  with the project led by the Hauts-de-Seine Department and Paris La Défense. Boulevard Patrick Devedjian in the south in Puteaux will be developed into a true urban boulevard that will provide access to areas that have been difficult to reach until now.

The objectives are as follows:

• Conversion of the boulevard to two lanes of traffic, installation of new street lighting, new traffic lights, and innovative equipment to improve traffic flow.
• Development or maintenance of 5.6 km of bike paths, creation of wider and safer sidewalks, 14 crosswalks, and parking spaces.
• Greening the boulevard and vacant lots, planting more than 500 trees, reducing heat islands, and decreasing noise and air pollution.
• Redesigning seventeen intersections and reducing traffic elevation differences.

On the Michelet side, the circular boulevard will be lined with a south-facing forecourt, stretching between the Vignes and Orme footbridges, which will become a new gateway to the Michelet district from Puteaux.

Both a place of passage and a place of waiting, this currently very mineral space can benefit from planting in the ground. Maximum space will be freed up to:

• give pedestrians plenty of room and offer them a variety of possibilities, such as crossing the boulevard, accessing The Link and the Cours Michelet, or simply strolling around...
• create a public space with a strong identity, which will reduce the disconnect between the La Défense slab and the boulevard and create continuity between Puteaux and the business district.
• organize multimodality (soft modes, public transportation, drop-off zones, etc.).

At the same time, the Hauts-de-Seine Department took advantage of this project to begin considering innovative developments for its road network. The redevelopment of the La Défense ring road, renamed Boulevard Patrick-Devedjian, will begin in 2026.

In 2019, it launched the RD 993 Lab. In partnership with Cerema (Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Mobility, and Development) and in collaboration with Paris La Défense, this call for projects aims to find innovative solutions to improve traffic flow and safety.

Four projects have been selected and are being tested on site:

1. Flowell, from the Colas group, is an innovative road marking system based on the installation of LED tiles. The markings are more visible and light up when motorists pass through complex intersections.
2. Intelligent traffic management was devised by the Vinci, Actemium, and Qucit consortium. It is an intelligent video analysis system that collects traffic data. Traffic light cycles are then adjusted according to traffic volume in order to avoid congestion.
3. Luciole, from the Eiffage group, is an economical and intelligent system for reducing the energy impact of urban lighting. In addition to installing LEDs on existing streetlights, a light-colored coating and a light intensity variation device are also installed. The lighting intensifies as a vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian approaches, then gradually dims as it moves away.
4. SOFFTV2I, from Aximum, is a set of equipment that communicates with motorists (connected vehicles, via a smartphone app or via information panels along the route), providing speed advice based on the situation. This solution aims to improve traffic flow and optimize road sharing.

Today, Paris La Défense has completely renovated the circular boulevard of La Défense and its surroundings from the Pont de Neuilly to Avenue Gambetta in Courbevoie. New or renovated real estate projects such as the Eqho, Carpe Diem, D2, and Europe towers, the Melia Paris La Défense hotel, and the Alto and Saint-Gobain towers have been completed and accompanied by redevelopment of the surrounding area.

On the Carpe Diem tower side, a monumental staircase now provides access to the La Défense platform from Courbevoie and the circular boulevard. The tower has a taxi drop-off point, the “Marie Paradis” square. The Corolles car park has been renovated and modernized, and the Place des Corolles has been redeveloped.

The D2 tower has benefited from a number of new developments:

• two engineering structures, the D2 “Frida Kahlo” square and the Corolles “Annette Kellerman” square, have been built from scratch;
• the 1,000-space Reflets 1 car park has been completely modernized;
• the tower has its own local transport link, connecting directly to Place des Reflets on one side and Place de l'Iris on the other, thanks to the creation of a staircase and the installation of a double elevator on the Alsace footbridge.

The public spaces around the Melia Paris La Défense hotel have also been redesigned.

On the Boulevard Circulaire side, the “Joséphine Baker” square has been created to improve access for coaches, cars, and taxis. A staircase provides access to metro line 1 and the La Défense esplanade from the Boulevard Circulaire, creating a new link with the town of Courbevoie. A new access point also provides access to the Iris and Reflets car parks.

The international headquarters of Saint-Gobain and its surrounding facilities contribute significantly to the liveliness of the neighborhood, both on the Boulevard Circulaire side, with the creation of a staircase providing a direct link to Courbevoie, and on the slab side, with the redevelopment of the Place de l'Iris and the creation of shops. Finally, the Alto tower is part of the redevelopment and development of generous urban spaces, notably with the creation of the “Zaha Hadid” square.

The Boulevard Circulaire de La Défense, forming a one-way ring road surrounding the business district, isolates it from the neighboring districts of Puteaux and Courbevoie. A veritable urban highway reserved for cars, pedestrians cross it via footbridges or underground passages.

The opening of the A14 motorway in November 1996 paved the way for the reconfiguration of the Boulevard Circulaire de La Défense into a more urban boulevard that is easier to navigate, more people-friendly, and quieter, offering safe pedestrian crossings, a 2 km long two-way cycle path, and landscaping. This high-quality development reduced the space allocated to cars and began with the demolition of the Gambetta viaduct. The structure that spanned the Boulevard Circulaire de La Défense connected Courbevoie to the business district. This road complex made pedestrian traffic difficult and confusing, forcing pedestrians to use a dark and uninviting underground passageway known as “la fosse aux ours” (the bear pit).

In June 2004, plans for the redevelopment of the Boulevard Circulaire de La Défense began to take shape. The Ségoffin traffic light intersection offered new permeability, with safe, level pedestrian crossings, green spaces, and the beginnings of a bike path. The Gambetta intersection opened up a green corridor, “the Cours Gambetta,” to pedestrians, with relaxation areas featuring a pond. From the Neuilly bridge to the Folie intersection in Puteaux, the first phase of development, completed in 2008, achieved its objectives: to reclaim space from cars to create soft connections, reduce speeds, create green spaces, and stitch the city together by removing the highway “moat.”

Paris La Défense has entrusted the Richez & Associés agency and the Artelia Ville et Transport design office with the task of transforming this axis into a more urban and people-friendly boulevard, promoting mixed use along its edges. The Plan de Renouveau (Renewal Plan) operations, with numerous tower projects in this part of La Défense, provided an opportunity to continue the discussion on the development of the Boulevard Circulaire. The objectives are to rework the public spaces to facilitate connections between La Défense and the city of Courbevoie and transform this former urban highway into a true urban boulevard.

In summary, the main objectives of the consultation phase were:

• to develop the boulevard to create a true urban and landscape unity (uniform treatment of the ground, planting of trees, lighting plan, etc.)
• the creation of new cross-connections (stairs, elevators, etc.) to link the city of Courbevoie and the La Défense platform
• the enhancement of the bases of the towers and the new programs being implemented there.