Tunisia is benefiting from key highway expansion

Work is underway in Tunisia on the westbound Highway from capital Tunis towards the Algerian border. This 60km link will run from the town of Oued Zarga to Boussalem and the work is being carried out by Italian contractor Todini and local company Soroubat. The bidding process for the 100km highway from Gabes to Medenine is now being opened, while bidding for the 92km road from Medenine to the Libyan border outpost of Ras Jedir opened in October 2012. Bids for the construction of the 61km of peripheral roads
November 28, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
Work is now complete on a key section of highway in Tunisia shown here, while work is underway or in planning for other important routes

Work is underway in Tunisia on the westbound Highway from capital Tunis towards the Algerian border.

This 60km link will run from the town of Oued Zarga to Boussalem and the work is being carried out by Italian contractor 5482 Todini and local company 6943 Soroubat. The bidding process for the 100km highway from Gabes to Medenine is now being opened, while bidding for the 92km road from Medenine to the Libyan border outpost of Ras Jedir opened in October 2012. Bids for the construction of the 61km of peripheral roads around Tunis to link the south (A1), west (A3) and north (A2) highways will be launched in 2013. This new road will allow traffic crossing the country to avoid having to enter Tunis as at present. This will help reduce journey times for goods transport and also cut congestion in the city. Plans are also being drawn up for the construction of a 370km highway running from Tunis to the city of Tozeur, which will run in diagonal from the North East of Tunisia to the South West.

Work has yet to commence on the planned 50km highway project from the town of Boussalem to the Algerian border. This would link Algeria’s highway network with that of Tunisia. The country’s new government has prioritised development of roads and highways towards the south and southwest of Tunisia. And work on the 150km southbound highway from Sfax (Tunisia’s second city) to Gabes is encountering numerous challenges at present. The new government is facing issues including displaced persons, land confiscations carried out by the previous regime and a number of local social issues.

A 60km section of the North African Highway running through Tunisia was completed in April 2011, despite the problems faced since the country’s revolution. It is 11.75m wide and has shoulders of 1.5m on each side. Some 906,000m3 of earthmoving was carried out and there was also 483,000m² of cold milling. Constructing the asphalt base and asphalt concrete involved laying 110,000m3 of material using a new 1194 Vögele 2100-2 paver. The project also included construction of 40,000m of drainage, the installation of 63km of slipformed concrete barriers, using a new 2395 Wirtgen SP250 and the use of 15,000 plastic road separators.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • India’s longest tolled expressway is open to traffic
    January 2, 2013
    Earlier this year, a new expressway was opened to traffic in India, adding connectivity to the country’s road network - Mike Woof reports. India’s economic growth has fuelled a massive construction boom in the country. Road building has been set as a priority by the Indian Government to help ensure continued economic development and improve connectivity between major population centres. One major new expressway has recently opened to traffic, having been designed to international standards and provides insi
    Read More
  • Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh benefiting from major transport investment
    September 9, 2013
    Saudi Arabia is undergoing a series of upgrades to its transport network in a bid to improve Traffic flow rates and boost safety - Mike Woof reports. The massive growth in the use of motor transport worldwide since the start of the 20th century has transformed every country on the planet. But perhaps no country has changed more dramatically than Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer. At the start of the 20th century Saudi Arabia’s population was small and the country had few industries while it is
    Read More
  • Bolivia’s latest highway project is underway
    May 29, 2018
    Bolivia’s new highway project will improve connections with Brazil and Chile – Mauro Nogarin reports. Work is underway on Bolivia’s new Rurrenabaque – Riberalta highway project, which will boost connectivity for the country. The project is being coordinated by the Bolivian Highway Administration (ABC), with an Eximbank loan of US$579.4 million providing the financing for 85% of the work. The remaining 15% of the funding will come from the Beni Department’s budget, where the route is being built. Located in
    Read More
  • Russian roads benefiting from rebuilding programme
    November 30, 2018
    Russia’s Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor) set out an ambitious plan of road development projects for 2018 and is achieving its target. Compared with 2017, Rosavtodor increased its programme of road development for 2018 by 19.5%. Meanwhile Rosavtodor has planned to repair 8,400km of roads, with 97 of the planned works being completed ahead of schedule. Work to a further four sections of roads are also likely to be completed ahead of schedule in the Leningrad Region, Sverdlovsk Region (Urals), Novosibirsk Reg
    Read More

Highlighted Content