One of Morocco’s most dangerous roads could get tunnels in a bid to improve its safety. A feasibility study on the potential installation of tunnels on the RN9 mountain-passing route will begin in December 2014.
January 9, 2014
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One of Morocco’s most dangerous roads could get tunnels in a bid to improve its safety. A feasibility study on the potential installation of tunnels on the RN9 mountain-passing route will begin in December 2014.
Morocco’s road expansion programme is proving successful and meeting targets. At the end of 2013, the country had some 730km of expressways in service. The building programme continues and by 2016, the authorities hope to extend this to 1,600km. However a study into the possibility of creating expressways between industrial zones and logistics platforms now has to be carried out to help deliver the road expansion targets. One option is for building expressways that run in parallel with highways to link two
Morocco’s road safety problem is increasing, according to the latest official data available. In 2014, the number of road deaths recorded in Moroccan cities increased by 6.25% and hit 1,275. Meanwhile the total number of crashes increased by 3.12% to 51,130. In Casablanca alone there were 212 road deaths. The authorities acknowledge that many of these crashes are the result of drivers ignoring the rules of the road and posted speed limits. Overall however, the number of road deaths declined by 15% in 2014,
Further infrastructure development is planned for Morocco. The authorities in the town of Salé are planning an urban development programme, with new and wider roads seen as a key portion of the work. Salé lies immediately to the north of Morocco’s capital Rabat and is home to many commuters working in the capital. Improving the transport links in the area will help develop the local economy and the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finances have set a budget of over US$516 million for the work. T
Morocco’s Transport Ministry is proposing tougher measures to boost road safety. Following a recent coach crash that killed 43 people in Morocco, various safety issues have been highlighted. The authorities say that vehicles more than 20 years old are allowed on Morocco’s roads, subject to regular roadworthiness checks.
