The Route nationale 16, or RN16, is a trunk road (nationale

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...

 crossing Picardy

Picardy

This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...

 north of 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...

.

Reclassification

The majority of the road has now been re-classified as the RD1016 and RD916.

Pierrefitte-sur-Seine to Clermont (0km - 66km)

The road starts north of Paris as a branch of the RN1

Route nationale 1

The Route nationale 1 is a trunk road in France between Paris and Calais.-Reclassification:The majority of the original road has been superseded by the A16 autoroute...

, as the Avenue de la Division Leclerc and bypasses the town of Sarcelles

Sarcelles

Sarcelles is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Sarcelles is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Sarcelles....

 and heads into open countryside crossing the RD104 (the Francilienne). The road passes the Castle and Estate of Epenay-Champlatreux and the Parc Naturel Régional de Oise Pays de France. The road bypasses Luzarches and plunges through the Forêt du Coye and then on to Chantilly

Chantilly, Oise

Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...

.

At Chantilly the road crosses the river of Nonette and on through woodland to Creil

Creil

Creil is a large town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-History:Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site, as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging to a Gaulish fortress or protected camp.The city itself...

 in the Oise

Oise

Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

 valley. The road crosses the valley up the Breche valley to Clermont

Clermont, Oise

Clermont is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-Main sights:* Church St Samson containing numerous Painting from the seventeenth century...

, The road has a junction here with the RN31 from 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 :...

 to 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...

.

Clermont to Breteuil (66km to 100km)

The road has now been downgraded to the RD916 north of Clermont. The road initially follows the Arné valley north. At St Just-en-Chaaussée it follows the course of an old Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 road. The road leaves the valley and heads through open country to the town of Breteuil

Breteuil, Oise

Breteuil or Breteuil-sur-Noye is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.It is located in the Noye valley. Its inhabitants are calles Brituliens.-References:*...

 where it rejoins the RN1. It merges with the RN1 (now RD1001) until the town of Amiens

Amiens

Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...

.

Amiens to Dunkerque (132km to 287km)

The road splits from the RD1001 in Amiens, following the same route as the N25

Route nationale 25

The Route nationale 25 is a motorway in northern France. It connects the towns of Amiens and Arras and is approximately 68 km long.-Route:...

 until the town of Doullens. The road continues north numbered the RD916. The road passes the village of Frévent and the river Canche. The road crosses the former N39 (now RD939) south of the town of St Pol-sur-Ternoise. The road is briefly the RD941 (originally the N41 before becoming the RD916 once more. The road continues north to the town of Lillers and a junction with the A26 autoroute

A26 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...

 (Junction 5). The town had a junction with the N43

Route nationale 43

The route nationale 43 or RN 43 is a French route nationale between Le Piquet and Charleville-Mézières....

 (now RD943) from Calais

Calais

Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....

 to 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...

.

The road crosses the River Lys and then Foret de Nieppe. The road then passes through the town of Hazebrouck

Hazebrouck

-Communications:The town enjoys excellent rail connections, with frequent daily services to Lille and Paris, some by High Speed Line. There is a small international airport, concentrating on business flights, at Merville-Calonne just 12 kilometre / 8 miles away...

 where it meets the N42. 4 km to the north the road turns north west. The road passes the town of Cassel and Monts des Recollets (159m). The road passes Wormhout, crosses the A25 autoroute

A25 autoroute

The A25 is a motorway in northern France. It is also part of European Route E42.-Route:The road connects the English Channel port of Dunkerque with the major city of Lille.-Junctions:* 01 A1, N356 to A25....

 where the road merges with the N28

Route nationale 28

The Route nationale 28 is a trunk road in Normandy and Picardy in northwest France. It connects the city of Rouen to the port of Dunkerque. Most of the route has been superseded by the A28 autoroute.-Route:...

 (now RD928). It then enters the town of Dunkerque.