Floodplain restoration projects are part of sustainable flood management model. However, in practice, they are rarely implemented. We analyze the failure of a floodplain restoration project that was supposed to be implemented on the River Rhône (France). Based on the analysis of floodplain restoration projects implementation literature, we identified several constraints on the implementation of the project. In accordance with the literature, institutional factors were found to have played a critical role in the failure of the project. Other factors such as opposing representations between inhabitants and river managers were also important. Moreover, the strong involvement of the State alongside river managers proved to be a major constraint on implementation.