An administrative court in the southern French city of Toulouse has ruled that construction work on the Toulouse-Castres motorway can resume from mid-June, after a three-month shutdown, reports RFI.
The project has been heavily contested by environmentalists for the last two years.
This decision "comes as a real relief," said Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, after the Toulouse Administrative Court of Appeal's decision on Wednesday.
"The judge recognised as serious the argument in favour of the existence of a compelling reason of major public interest for the project."
Tabarot said work on the 53-kilometre section could resume gradually from mid-June, and that vigilance would remain "to take environmental protection issues into account."
Julie Rover, one of the lawyers representing the opponents of the A69 motorway, expressed her "stunned" attitude immediately after the administrative court's decision was announced.
"The risk today is that work will resume and then in eight or ten months, the cancellation will be confirmed," the lawyer warned.