Skip to main content

Work to restart on major Algeria link projects

Algeria is planning to restart construction of the final section of the country’s East- West Highway project as well as a tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch. Some 84km of the East-West highway located in Algeria’s El Tarf region remains to be built following the withdrawal of a Japanese-led consortium from the project. The project to build the 1.9km twin tube tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch and close to Constantine faced major geological challenges.
September 8, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Algeria is planning to restart construction of the final section of the country’s East- West Highway project as well as a tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch. Some 84km of the East-West highway located in Algeria’s El Tarf region remains to be built following the withdrawal of a Japanese-led consortium from the project. The project to build the 1.9km twin tube tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch and close to Constantine faced major geological challenges. A stretch of one of the tunnels collapsed during construction and a temporary bypass had to be built. Following a dispute between the Japanese consortium and the Algerian Government, work on the project halted. However construction of this final stretch of the East-West highway now looks set to recommence. The highway is of enormous strategic benefit to Algeria as it runs some 1,219km across the country and connects its borders with neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia.

Related Content

  • Boom in African road construction projects
    February 22, 2012
    Huge investments are being made in major road construction projects for North Africa. The biggest is the 'Autoroute Transmaghrébine' highway, which is also Africa's largest ever road construction project. Once complete, the highway will connect the Maghreb states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and will have a total length of 3,200km.
  • Trans-Sahara Highway soon to connect Niger with Algeria
    December 4, 2014
    Construction work started in November on the last part of the Trans-Sahara Highway connecting the Algerian capital Algiers to the Nigerian capital and port Lagos.
  • Algerian court gives verdict on East-West motorway corruption case
    May 15, 2015
    A court in the Algerian capital Algiers has sentenced two men to 10 years in jail for their part in a money laundering scheme relating to construction of the East West Motorway.
  • Algeria tunnel project nearly complete
    June 9, 2016
    Work on a major tunnel project in Algeria is due for completion shortly. The tunnel will commence carrying traffic during July 2016, although an official inauguration date has not so far been announced. The T4 tunnel will connect Constantine with Skikda and Annaba, which lie to the north and on Algeria’s coast. The 2.5km tunnel forms a section of the East-West highway. To cope with the tricky geological conditions in the area, both umbrella arch and composite roof bolting methods have been used to sup