East-West Highway

The East-West Highway is a major new infrastructure project in Algeria. The project to build a six-lane highway across Algeria was launched in 2008, and is claimed to be one of the largest public works projects in the world.

The highway connects the the Moroccan border to the Tunisian border ( 1720 Km) through major Algerian cities such as (from west to east)  Tlemcen, Oran, Chlef, Algiers, Setif, Constantine and Annaba and El Tarf. The project has been costed at $11 billion.

There has a been a competition from different companies from USA, France, Germany, Japan and China in order to win the bid to take charge of this project, China and Japan won the bid.

The companies that took charge of this project:

CITIC (China International Trust and Investment Corporation)

CRCC (China Railway Construction Corporation)

COJAAL (Consortium Japonais Pour l'Autoroute Algérienne)

Technical installations:

100 Mega Bridges

700 Bridges for national roads to connect the highway

400 Ground Passage

16 Tunnels (18 Km on each one)

Service installations:

Petrol Stations (Naftal) 

Hotels

Restaurants

Internet facilities

Post office

Toll Highway

Here are some images of the highway:

Overview

It’s public investment program launched by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for 5 year period from 2010 to 2014, which is funded by the Algerian Government to develop national Infrastructure by launching development projects which will cost 21,214 Billion DA ($286 Billion).

List of Development Projects:

Build 5000 national educational institution (including 100 Intermediate and 850 high schools) and 600,000 university pedagogical seat and 400,000 beds for students (boarding universities) and more than 300 vocational and professional institutions.

More than 1,500 health facilities including 172 hospitals and 45 specialized health centres and 377  specialties clinic, as well as 70 specialized institutions for the people with disabilities.

More than 5,000 Sport facilities for youth, including 80 stadium and 160 multi-sports hall and 400 swimming pools and more than 200 playground young people.

Improving the supply of drinkable water through the completion of 35 dams and 25 systems to divert water and end all seawater desalination plants are in process of completion.

Supporting agricultural and rural development in the country.

Promote small and medium enterprise through the completion of industrial zones and public support for the rehabilitation and facilitate bank loans for the business.

Continue to expand and modernize the transport network (Highways, Air fleet, boats and railway).

Completion of new power plants and the development of the petrochemical industry and the modernization of the public enterprises.

Supporting scientific research, universal education and the use of Information Technology in the entire national administration system of education and in the public service.

Building 1.5 million housing units in the country to reduce the number of homeless in the country.