Route nationale 17
Encyclopedia
The Route nationale 17, or RN17, is a trunk road (nationale
) in France
connecting Paris
to the frontier with Belgium
.
. As a result north of Senlis
the road has been downgraded and re-classified as the RD1017 and RD917. There is a small section of the RN17 remaining between Arras
and Lille
.
-Senlis
-Arras
-Lens
-Lille
-Belgium
, opposite the Airport Paris-Le Bourget, and heads north east as the Av du Mai 1985 and then Route de Flandre. The road skirts the western edge of the Airport Charles de Gaulle, crosses the RD104 and then through open countryside.
After the village of Survillers the road enters the Parc Naturel Régional de Oise Pays de France. The road now passes through the Forêt du Chantilly before reaching the Cathedral
City of Senlis
.
. The road heads north through the Forêt d'Halatte crossing the River Oise
at Pont-Sainte-Maxence
crosses marsh and woodland before open countryside. There is a junction with the RN31 (E46) between Beauvais
and Compiègne
. The road then passes the villages of Estrées-Saint-Denis
and Cuvilly
passing the grounds of the Chateau
de Tilloloy
. The road crosses the autoroute and heads round the village of Roye
. The bypass runs next to war-graves on the bank of the River Avre
.
The RN17 then crosses the A29
(E44) and then the RN29 before entering the Somme River
valley. The road crosses the river at Péronne
and continues north over World War I
battlefields passing French, British and German cemeteries. The road crosses the A2
and the A1 again before reaching the town of Bapaume
. The road then continues north to Arras
.
E15
to Calais. The road crosses the river Scarpe and heads north over the Vimy Ridge past the war memorial to Canadian troops.
The road then reaches the industrial town of Lens
, the landscape is dotted with slag heap
s from the coal mines nearby. In Lens through traffic takes the A211 autoroute
and then the A21 autoroute
. The town is also served by the RN43 and RN47. Thereafter the RN17 heads northeast to Carvin
and leads onto the A1 autoroute
E17
. The old RN17 is now the RD925 through Seclin
into the city of Lille
.
After Lille the road heads north from the City Centre passing west of Tourcoing
and onto Halluin
where the road crosses into Belgium
over the river Leie
where the road becomes the RN32.
Route nationale (France)
A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
) in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
connecting Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to the frontier with Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Reclassification
The majority of the route runs close to the A1 autorouteA1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
. As a result north of Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
the road has been downgraded and re-classified as the RD1017 and RD917. There is a small section of the RN17 remaining between Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
and Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
Route
ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
-Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
-Lens
Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
-Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
-Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Paris to Senlis (0km – 31km)
The road starts north of Paris as a branch of the RN2Route nationale 2
The Route nationale 2 is a route nationale in northern France.-History:The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 as route impériale 2, running from Paris all the way to Amsterdam via Brussels, Antwerp, Breda and Utrecht. The territory north of the present border with Belgium was removed from France in...
, opposite the Airport Paris-Le Bourget, and heads north east as the Av du Mai 1985 and then Route de Flandre. The road skirts the western edge of the Airport Charles de Gaulle, crosses the RD104 and then through open countryside.
After the village of Survillers the road enters the Parc Naturel Régional de Oise Pays de France. The road now passes through the Forêt du Chantilly before reaching the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
City of Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
.
Senlis to Arras (31km to 162km)
At Senlis there are junctions with the RN330, RN324 and A1A1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
. The road heads north through the Forêt d'Halatte crossing the River Oise
Oise River
The River Oise is a right tributary of the River Seine, flowing for 302 km in Belgium and France. Its source is in the Belgian province Hainaut, south of the town Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about 20 km. It flows into the Seine in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris...
at Pont-Sainte-Maxence
Pont-Sainte-Maxence
Pont-Sainte-Maxence is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
crosses marsh and woodland before open countryside. There is a junction with the RN31 (E46) between Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and Compiègne
Compiègne
Compiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
. The road then passes the villages of Estrées-Saint-Denis
Estrées-Saint-Denis
Estrées-Saint-Denis is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:*...
and Cuvilly
Cuvilly
Cuvilly is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
passing the grounds of the Chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
de Tilloloy
Tilloloy
Tilloloy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Tilloloy is situated in the east of the department southeast of Amiens, on the N17 road...
. The road crosses the autoroute and heads round the village of Roye
Roye, Somme
Roye is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Roye is situated at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 road, on the banks of the Avre, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-History:...
. The bypass runs next to war-graves on the bank of the River Avre
Avre (Somme)
The Avre is a river in Picardie and is the principal tributary, from the left side, of the Somme. At 66 kilometres long, it drains a relatively important basin of 1,150 km² but only flows at best 5,1 m³/s near its confluence at Longueau....
.
The RN17 then crosses the A29
A29 autoroute
The A29 is a motorway in Normandy, northern France. The road is also European Route 44.-Route:The road connects the port of Le Havre with the A26 autoroute at Saint-Quentin...
(E44) and then the RN29 before entering the Somme River
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
valley. The road crosses the river at Péronne
Péronne, Somme
Péronne is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is close to where the Battles of the Somme took place during World War I...
and continues north over World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
battlefields passing French, British and German cemeteries. The road crosses the A2
A2 autoroute
The A2 Autoroute is a French autoroute that travels 76 km from the A1 near the commune of Combles in Picardie to the border with Belgium, where it continues on as the Belgian motorway A7...
and the A1 again before reaching the town of Bapaume
Bapaume
Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...
. The road then continues north to Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
.
Arras to Frontier with Belgium (162km to 227km)
At Arras the road has junctions with the RN25, RN39 and A26 autorouteA26 autoroute
The A26 is a long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais as it is the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel to most parts of France and often contains large numbers of British cars, particularly during the summer...
E15
European route E15
The European route E 15 is part of the United Nations international E-road network. It is a north-south "reference road", running from Inverness, Scotland south through England and France to Algeciras, Spain...
to Calais. The road crosses the river Scarpe and heads north over the Vimy Ridge past the war memorial to Canadian troops.
The road then reaches the industrial town of Lens
Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
, the landscape is dotted with slag heap
Slag heap
A spoil tip is a pile built of accumulated spoil - the overburden removed during coal and ore mining. These waste materials are generally composed of shale, as well as smaller quantities of carboniferous sandstone and various other residues...
s from the coal mines nearby. In Lens through traffic takes the A211 autoroute
Autoroutes of France
The Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...
and then the A21 autoroute
A21 autoroute
The A21 autoroute is a toll free highway in north western France it is also known as the Rocade Minière.-Completed:*01 D301 Start of autoroute Towns at junction with D937 Towns served: Barlin...
. The town is also served by the RN43 and RN47. Thereafter the RN17 heads northeast to Carvin
Carvin
This article refers to a French commune. For the guitar manufacturer see Carvin Corporation. For the late New Orleans political consultant see Jim Carvin.Carvin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
and leads onto the A1 autoroute
A1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
E17
European route E17
European route E 17 passes through the following cities:** Antwerp → Sint-Niklaas → Ghent → Kortrijk** Tourcoing → Lille** Lille → Arras** Arras → Cambrai → Saint-Quentin → Laon → Reims...
. The old RN17 is now the RD925 through Seclin
Seclin
Seclin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.Ghana national football team footballer Andre Ayew was born in Seclin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:...
into the city of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
After Lille the road heads north from the City Centre passing west of Tourcoing
Tourcoing
Tourcoing is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Nord.Tourcoing is situated near the cities of Lille and Roubaix and the Belgian border.-Main sights:...
and onto Halluin
Halluin
Halluin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Geography:It is located at the north of the Lille Urban Community, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen.-Heraldry:-Twin towns:...
where the road crosses into Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
over the river Leie
Lys River
The Leie or Lys is a river in France and Belgium, and a left tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is ....
where the road becomes the RN32.