In Algeria, the East-West highway now truly lives up to its name as it stretches across the entire width of the country. A final segment of about 80 kilometers, extending to the border with Tunisia, was inaugurated on Saturday, August 12th, by the Prime Minister, Aïmene Benabderrahmane, as reported by the official news agency APS. This marks the culmination of a project that has faced multiple twists and turns.
This highway, running parallel to the Mediterranean coast, holds, according to the Algerian Prime Minister cited by APS, “strategic importance for the state.” The specific significance of the final segment is to “promote relations between Algeria and Tunisia.”
However, laying down this long stretch of asphalt has been far from an easy journey. It took no less than 17 years to complete the work that was assigned to two consortia, one Chinese and the other Japanese, back in 2006. The initial deadline of 40 months was quickly surpassed.
By 2012, a significant portion of the project was finally finished. Yet, facing technical and financial difficulties, the Japanese consortium Cojaal halted the work, leading to a standoff with Algeria. A Chinese group took over at the end of 2017. It would still take over five more years to complete the challenging task due to the “rugged topography of the terrain,” as noted by TSA media.