Work to restart on major Algeria link projects

Algeria is planning to restart construction of the final section of the country’s East- West Highway project as well as a tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch. Some 84km of the East-West highway located in Algeria’s El Tarf region remains to be built following the withdrawal of a Japanese-led consortium from the project. The project to build the 1.9km twin tube tunnel at Djebel El Ouahch and close to Constantine faced major geological challenges. A stretch of one of the tunnels collapsed during construction and a temporary bypass had to be built. Following a dispute between the Japanese consortium and the Algerian Government, work on the project halted. However construction of this final stretch of the East-West highway now looks set to recommence. The highway is of enormous strategic benefit to Algeria as it runs some 1,219km across the country and connects its borders with neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia.