The cost of the national road infrastructure strategy by 2035 amounts to 35 billion dinars, announced Minister of Public Works and Housing Sarra Zafrani, during a dialogue session with the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), held on Monday in Bardo.
According to the minister, this strategy aims to enhance connections between different regions of the country and neighbouring countries, as well as facilitate citizens’ access to highway and expressway networks. Additionally, it aims to construct expressways linking inland regions to the country’s main economic hubs.
Furthermore, the objective of this strategy is to improve connectivity in rural areas and ensure the maintenance of paved roads. The minister emphasised that only numbered roads, spanning a total of 19,963 km, 84% of which are paved, fall under the purview of her ministry.
The strategy presented by the minister also includes plans to expand the highway network to 1,320 km by 2035, compared to the current 743 km. Currently, 186 km of highways are under construction to connect Tunis to Jelma (Sidi Bouzid), with the project commencing in December 2022 at a total cost of approximately 1,710 million dinars. It is expected to be completed during the first half of 2026.
Furthermore, Zafrani indicated that the construction of 390 km of highways is planned for the coming years. This primarily includes the highway connecting Bousselem (Jendouba Governorate) to the Algerian border (75 km), the extension of the highway to the city of Kef (115 km), and the Jelma/Kasserine and Jelma/Sidi Bouzid/Gafsa highways (200 km).
Among the goals outlined by the strategy is also the extension of the expressway network to 2,000 km by 2035, compared to the current 1,437 km, and the expansion of the road network to 20,000 km, up from the current 11,900 km.
The strategy also aims to improve access to the road network for residents in rural areas through the development of rural circuits spanning 30,000 km, compared to the current 26,000 km.
The maintenance and upkeep of road networks are also among the priorities highlighted in the strategy. The minister noted that her department is working towards allocating an annual budget of 300 million dinars for this purpose, to maintain 500 km of roads annually.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse