APRR was formed in 1961 to operate the Paris-Lyon motorway A6. APRR's network expanded over time, with the addition of the A5 and A39 motorways that provided alternative routes to France's eastern regions (Toul and Mulhouse) and central regions (Bourges and Clermont-Ferrand). In 1994 when the French motorway sector was being restructured, APRR took over Autoroutes Rhône-Alpes (AREA). The APRR and AREA concessions were to expire on 31 December 2032.
By mid-2006, the length of the road network operated by APRR was 1,371 miles. This made APRR the second largest highway concessionaire in France and the fourth largest in Europe. The operations of this group are concentrated at central France. The group's road network mainly covers the Paris-Lyon (A5, A6, A39) motorway, the Bourgogne-Northern Europe (A31-A36) motorway, the Alpine motorways in the Rhone-Alps region (A40, A41, A42, A43, A48) and the motorways in the center of France (A77, A71). Table 3 presents financial and corporate information on APRR before privatization.