Casablanca–Agadir expressway
| A3 motorway | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 429 km (267 mi) |
| Existed | 2000–present |
| History | Completed on 21 June 2010 |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Casablanca |
| South end | Agadir |
| Location | |
| Country | Morocco |
| Highway system | |
The Autoroute Casablanca–Agadir is a new main road in Morocco. Building began in 2000 and the road was inaugurated on 21 June 2010 by Prince Moulay Rachid.[1] The road is 429 km (267 mi) long and connects the cities of Casablanca and Agadir through the city of Marrakesh and High Atlas mountains.
Casablanca–Marrakesh
It has been designated A3 as its identity marker. Total length is 210 km: 52 km Casablanca–Settat and 158 km Settat–Marrakech, including A301.[2] The expressway takes its origins south of the residential area of Casablanca, at the interchange with the A1 Rabat-Safi expressway. It continues south past Bouskoura and serves the Mohamed V airport with an exit. A toll station is placed just south of there. The road then circumvales the town of Berrechid serving it with an exit north of it for south-bound traffic and one south of it for north-bound traffic. The road was opened in 2002 to Settat, and construction on the remaining part started in 2003 reaching Marrakesh in 2007. In 2005 the 17 km bypass of Settat opened.[3] When the Marrakech–Agadir expressway opened in 2009 it was directly connected to this A3. The Casablanca–Marrakesh highway was completed and opened to traffic on April 17, 2007.[4] Toll-revenues of this road, including the Casablanca bypass, totaled 219 million dirhams, reaching 3rd spot of top earners[5]
Marrakesh–Agadir
Financial
In June 2004 the Moroccan operator of expressways ADM signed an agreement with the Hasan II Society for economic and social development for a refinancing scheme of the ADM. This financial injection made construction of new roads possible and construction started in 2006.[6] The road is a toll road or péage to pay back the investments. Beside the ADM several other parties are involved. Some major investors participate in specific sections of the road or a general goal. The main investors are (in million dirham)[6][7]
- BID - Islamic Bank for Development - 965 MDH
- FADES -Arab Fund for social and economic development - 920
- FKDEA- Kuwait Fund for Arab and Economic Development - 450
- BAD - African Bank for Development - 1315
- JBIC- Japan Bank for International Cooperation - 1370
Overview
Below is a short overview of the different sub-projects, the costs[8] (against the estimated costs[9]) and the main contractors for that section. For some sections, only contractors for initial work are reported.
| # | from | via | to | length | real and (est cost) in M Dh |
contractors | from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marrakesh | – | Marrakesh West Interchange |
33 km | 583 (783) | El Hajji Srfiani The Arab Contractors |
File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt |
| 2 | Marr. West Interchg. | - | Chichaoua | 51 km | 810 (1060) | Burhan | File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait |
| 3 | Chichaoua | – | Imintanoute | 33 km | 753 (975) | SEPROB SNCE |
File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco |
| 4 | Imintanout | PK13 | Argana | 59 km | 2125 (2644) | TECNOVIA COVEC |
File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China |
| 5 | Argana | PK 20 | Ameskroud | 46 km | 1754 (2132) | DOGUS | File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey |
| 6 | Ameskroud | - | Agadir | 11 km | 287 (293) | Planum Mostogradnja |
File:Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia |
Construction
Work is divided into several main sections, each with their own contractors and workers. Construction of a 4-lane motorway through the mountains of the High Atlas requires many structures as fly-overs, viaducts and bridges. The existing national road (route nationale) is used for transportation of building material etc. Along this route, new exits and side roads are constructed to several main working locations and temporary factories (concrete, storage, camp-sites for builders, etc.). The new road crosses the existing road several times and follows more or less the same route through the mountains.
Layout
Over the full length the new autoroute has:
- two standard traffic lanes in each direction, each 3.5 meters wide with a central separation zone of at least 3 meters
- one emergency lane / hard shoulder in each direction of 1.5 meters wide
The road has 8 exits/entries, 9 toll-port gates and 4 rest stops with petrol stations, cafés and a room or building for praying. Thirteen viaducts and one tunnel were built to complete the road (excluding viaducts built over the road and/or tunnels under the road for crossing inferior local roads or feet-bridges: if you include these another 100 structures can be included.[8]
Toll road
As (nearly) all Moroccan expressways this new section is also a toll road. The existing national road will remain open as a toll-free alternative for the autoroute as well as allowing access to smaller villages and roads. Traveling time between Marrakesh and Agadir will be reduced greatly as the autoroute allows overtaking everywhere (4 lane), bypasses villages and allows higher speeds. Possible speed on 2-lane national roads is often greatly reduced due to very slow lorries crawling up a hill while steep bends and traffic from the other side make overtaking hazardous or impossible. The Marrakesh–Agadir section completes a north–south corridor of expressways that shortens the travel-distance on the route Tangier to Agadir by nearly 50 km (via toll-roads the distance is 776 and via the Route Nationale 824 km. But the biggest save is driving-time: the average travelling time Tangier–Agadir over national (free) roads is 14.5 hours while the same via the different toll-roads is under 7.5 hours[8]
Route
| Exit | Distance | Direction | Roads |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg Junction between A3 and A1 | km 0 | حد الســوالــم الجـديـدة Had Soualem El Jadida |
A1 |
| الـربــاط طـنـجـة وجــدة Rabat Tanger Oujda | |||
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 32 | 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) | الـمـديـنـة الخـضـراء بــوسـكــورة Ville Verte Bouskoura |
P3011 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 37 | 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) | بـوسـكـورة Bouskoura |
P3013 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 313 | 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) | مطـار محمد الـخامـس File:Airplane silhouette.svg Airport Mohammed V File:Airplane silhouette.svg |
P3038 |
| File:BAB-Grenze.svg Toll (Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
15 kilometres (9.3 mi) | Nouaceur toll station | |
| File:BAB-Grenze.svg Toll (Casablanca - Agadir direction) File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 321 (Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
21 kilometres (13 mi) | Berrechid toll station شمـال بــرشـيــد Berrechid North |
N12 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg Junction between A3 and A4 | 25 kilometres (16 mi) | خـريـبــڭـة بــنـي مــلال Khouribga Béni Mellal |
A4 |
| File:Spain traffic signal tp18.svg File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg Junction between A3 and Tit Mellil-Berrechid expressway (Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
Tit Mellil-Berrechid expressway under construction | ||
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 332 | 32 kilometres (20 mi) | جنوب بـرشـيــد خـريـبــڭـة بــنـي مــلال Berrechid South Khouribga Béni Mellal |
N12 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 35 kilometres (22 mi) | Service area Berrechid |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 352 | 52 kilometres (32 mi) | شمال سطات Settat North |
P3606 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 365 | 65 kilometres (40 mi) | وسط سطات البـــروج Settat Center El Borouj |
R308 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 75 kilometres (47 mi) | Service area Settat |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3104 | 104 kilometres (65 mi) | مــشــرع بن عــبــو Machraa Ben Abbou |
P3503 |
| File:Pannreau cours d'eau France.PNG Oued | 106 kilometres (66 mi) | Oued Oum Rbia | |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 107 kilometres (66 mi) | Service area Oum Rbia |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3127 | 127 kilometres (79 mi) | صخور الرحامنة Skhour Rhamna |
N9 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 154 kilometres (96 mi) | Service area Ben Guerir |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3160 | 160 kilometres (99 mi) | ابـن جــريــر الــيــوسفـيـة قـلـعـة الـسـراغـنـة Ben Guerir Youssoufia El Kelaa des Sraghna |
R206 |
| File:Aire de pique-nique.png (Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
194 kilometres (121 mi) | Rest area Sidi Bou Othmane |
|
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png (Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
Service area Sidi Bou Othmane | ||
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg Junction between A3 and A301 | 198 kilometres (123 mi) | مــراكـش الـنخـيـل Marrakech Palmeraie |
A301 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3214 | 214 kilometres (133 mi) | مــراكـش تامنصورت آســـفـــي الـجـديــدة Marrakech Tamansourt Safi El Jadida |
N7 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 228 kilometres (142 mi) | Service area Marrakech |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3232 | 232 kilometres (144 mi) | مــراكـش تـارڭـة Marrakech Targa |
P2006 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3248 | 248 kilometres (154 mi) | مـراكـــــش الاوداية سـيدي الــزويــن Marrakech Loudaya Sidi Zouine |
N8 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | km 279 | Service area Chichaoua |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3282 | 282 kilometres (175 mi) | شــيــشـاوة الــصـويــرة عبر الطريق السريع Chichaoua Essaouira per toll-free expressway |
N8 |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3310 | 310 kilometres (190 mi) | إيـمـنـتانـوت Imintanoute |
N11 |
| File:Spain traffic signal s5.png Tunnel | 325 kilometres (202 mi) | Zaouiat Ait Mellal tunnel | |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 345 kilometres (214 mi) | Service area Imintanoute |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3370 | 370 kilometres (230 mi) | أرڭـانـة Argana |
N11 P1713 |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png (Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
406 kilometres (252 mi) | Service area | |
| File:BAB-Grenze.svg Toll | 419 kilometres (260 mi) | Amskroud toll station | |
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnausfahrt.svg 3420 | 420 kilometres (260 mi) | أمسـكــرود تـارودانــت Amskroud Taroudannt |
N11 R114A |
| File:Aire d'autoroute - station essence.png | 424 kilometres (263 mi) | Service area Amskroud |
|
| File:Sinnbild Autobahnkreuz.svg Junction between A3 and N11A End of expressway |
429 kilometres (267 mi) | أڭــاديــر Agadir |
N11A N1 |
Sources and footnotes
- ↑ Press-release Inauguration new Agadir-Marrakesh road Archived 2011-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, visited 25 June 2010
- ↑ ADM's PDF publication: 2007 in figures Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, visited 23 August 2008
- ↑ Important dates Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on ADM website, visited 23 August 2008
- ↑ Opening of completed road by king Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Main financial figures Archived 2010-04-13 at the Wayback Machine on ADM's website, visited 23 August 2008
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Details from Project page Archived 2008-08-01 at the Wayback Machine on ADM site
- ↑ Article on Made in Morocco site Archived May 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Source: Information for the press regarding Agadir-Marrakesh Archived 2010-07-04 at the Wayback Machine published by the ADM, downloaded 25 June 2010.
- ↑ Information from ADM site on Marakech-Agadir project Archived 2008-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
