On a tour inspecting various infrastructural projects in the southern provinces of the North African country, Abdelkader Amara, the Minister for Industry, Trade and New Technologies has confirmed that the ongoing construction of the Laayoune Bridge in Morocco, the country’s longest, is progressing well and that the project will be inaugurated next year.
The Laayoune Bridge, which is a part of the Tiznit-Dakhla highway project, will be 1,650 meters in length, taking over the “longest bridge title in morocco” from the 950 meters long Mohammed VI Bridge in Rabat.
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The Tiznit-Dakhla highway project
The Tiznit-Dakhla highway project mainly concerns the enlargement of National Road N01, between Tiznit and Laayoune, and the establishment of a new road between Laayoune and Dakhla.
The entire project, which covers a distance of approximately 1,055 kilometers, had reached a completion rate of 38% as of February this year according to a senior official at the Ministry of Transport.
“The completion rate of the different highway sections varies between 17% and 67%. The northern part of the highway for example, between Tiznit and Laayoune, has reached a completion rate of 41%,” explained the senior official.
Although the original deadline for completion of the highway was the end of this year, the Moroccan Minister for Industry, Trade, and New Technologies confirmed that the construction will wrap up in 2022 instead.
The project is being implemented at a cost of US$ 1.1bn or it’s thereabouts.
A lever for economic and social development of Morocco’s southern provinces
As one of the North Africa country’s flagship development projects in its southern provinces, the highway represents a lever for the economic and social development of the region.
When completed, the highway will reduce the time and cost of transport between the north and the south of the country. It will also improve traffic flow, comfort, and road safety through the Sahara.
One problem. This work is happening in occupied Western Sahara. Morocco has maintained an illegal and repressive occupation of Western Sahara for over forty years. Can you correct your error?