ASF was formed in 1957 to operate the Lyon-Orange motorway. ASF's network gradually developed in southeast and southwest France. In 1994 ASF took over ESCOTA, the company operating the Estérel, Côte d'Azur, Provence and Alps autoroutes. The ESCOTA concession was to expire on 31 December 2026, and the original ASF concession was to expire on 31 December 2032.
By mid-2006, the length of the road concession network operated by ASF was 1,842 miles which made ASF the largest highway concessionaire in France and the second largest in Europe. The network connects France, Italy and Spain and services the French cities of Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Nice. Three out of the four busiest motorways in France are in the ASF network: Autoroutes A7, A8 and A9. Table 3 presents financial and corporate information on ASF before privatization.
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