The 1,055 kilometers long highway will link Morocco’s Western Sahara to the center of the country.
Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Transport, Abdelkader Amara, has affirmed that the construction works on the Tiznit-Dakhla highway, in Southern Morocco, are running smoothly. He added that the construction works are still on track to complete by their deadline, finishing by 2021.
King Mohammed VI launched the Tiznit-Dakhla highway project in 2015, with an estimated completion time of six years.
“All the [construction] works of this titanic project, including the enlargement of National Road N01, between Tiznit and Laayoune, and the expansion of the road between Laayoune and Dakhla, are launched,” reassured the minister.
The engineering works have already kicked off “in accordance with the deadline which runs until the end of 2021” for all 15 sections of this “strategic” project, added the official.
Amara said he was “very firm” with the companies who won the contracts regarding deadlines.
“We can understand certain constraints linked to water and electricity connections, but if companies do not respect the deadlines and show large delays, we will see their contracts terminated,” he continued.
The minister made the statement on Friday, January 10, in Tarfaya, southern Morocco, accompanied by the Governor of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, Abdeslem Bekrate, and the governor of the Tarfaya province, Mohamed Hamim.
Amara visited some of the construction sites to monitor the progress of construction.
The section linking Laayoune to Tarfaya, over a length of 57 kilometers, has reached an overall completion rate of 60%. The project, including the renovation of the northern and southern entrances to Tarfaya, has a budget of MAD 284.5 million.
The section between Tarfaya and Oued El Waar, covering 40 kilometers, has reached 35% completion. The works that started in October 2018 and are expected to last 24 months, with a budget of MAD 212 million.
The construction of the Tiznit-Dakhla highway is part of the development projects in Morocco’s southern regions that King Mohammed VI launched in 2015.
On November 6, 2015, on the 40th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI announced the launch of several development projects aiming to close the social and economic disparities between northern and southern Morocco.
The Tiznit-Dakhla highway will extend over 1,055 kilometers and cost around MAD 10 billion. It represents a lever for the economic and social development of the region.
When operational, the highway will reduce the time and cost of transport, and improve traffic flow, service, comfort, and road safety through Western Sahara. It will also facilitate the transport of goods between the southern cities of Morocco and the major centers of production and distribution in central and northern Morocco.
