The highway passes through areas home to a population of 2.2 million, dispatched across 10 southern provinces.
Rabat – Morocco has finalized work on the highway linking Laayoune to Dakhla, a 500-kilometer expressway that is now open for drivers.
Four sections of the highway in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region have been completed on schedule, according to Moroccan newspaper Al Akhbar.
The four sections form a highway with a width of nine meters, including six to seven meters for the middle of the road.
The first section stretches from Oued Lkrae to the rural commune of Bir Anzarane, while the second section goes from Bir Anzarane to El Argoub.
Meanwhile, the third section links El Argoub to kilometric point (PK) 40, and the fourth section goes straight to the coastal city of Dakhla.
According to the same source, the council of the region of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab contributed to the project with over MAD 400 million ($43.5) million, out of the total budget of MAD 8.5 billion ($925 million).
The collective funding of the project concerns the regions of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, and Souss-Massa.
The highway linking Laayoune to Dakhla, following high quality standards, is expected to contribute to the economy of the southern regions.
The newly-completed sections are part of a bigger highway project linking the city of Tiznit with Dakhla, passing through Laayoune, with a total distance of 1,055 kilometers.
Works are ongoing in the region of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra.
Meanwhile, works in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region are proceeding slowly due to internal issues of the regional council, which led to a postponement of over a year.
The highway passes through areas home to a population of 2.2 million, dispatched across 10 southern provinces, according to Morocco’s state media.
The project aims to facilitate transport between the northern and the southern region of Morocco, including merchandise, as well as between Morocco and sub-Saharan countries, such as Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali.
The “titanic” highway project, as styled by Minister of Equipment, Transport and Logistics Abdelkader Amara, falls within the development projects King Mohammed VI announced on November 6, 2015, the 40th anniversary of the Green March.
