Name and Location
Gabès–Medénine–Ras Jedir highway construction project, Tunisia.

Project Description
The project entails the construction of a highway link between Gabès and Ras Jedir, which is located on the Tunisia/Libya border. It will involve building 195 km of twin lane road, including the widening of national road 1 (RN1) into a twin-lane carriageway over 18.7 km, and the installation of tolling stations.

The project, which forms part of Tunisia’s eleventh Social and Economic Development Plan, is highly recommended as road traffic projections have indicated that, by 2015, several sections of the RN1, the main route currently used by drivers from Gabès to Ras Jedir will be saturated. If no compensatory measures are taken, the significant increase in traffic will adversely affect traffic conditions on the road.

Linking Gabès to the Tunisia/Libyan border, the highway will contribute to reinforcing regional integration within the five countries forming the Aran Maghreb Union.

The sections of the highway also constitute major links in corridor No 1 of the Trans-African highway network, whose ultimate objective is to link Dakar, in Senegal, to Cairo, in Egypt.

Value
The total project cost, including provision for physical contingencies and price escalations, excluding taxes, is estimated at €454.78-million.

Duration
The project is expected to be completed around December 2015.

Client
The government of Tunisia.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Société Tunisie Autoroutes (executing agency); and the African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the government of Tunisia and Société Tunisie Autoroutes (project finance).

Latest Developments
On June 21, 2011, the AfDB approved a loan valued at €137.34-million to finance the project.

The loan carried a guarantee from the government of Tunisia and will be used to fund the Medénine-to-Ras Jedir section of the link, which is estimated to cost €204.65-million.

The AfDB is cofunding the link with JICA, which is lending €136.47-million and the Tunisia government/Tunisia Highways Corporation, which is providing €180.97-million.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
AfDB (Tunis), Jacob Kolster, tel +216 71 333 511, fax +216 71 103 743 or email jkolster@afdb.org.
Société Tunisie Autoroutes, tel +261 71 960 606, fax +261 71 960 602 or email Tunisie.autouroutes@planet.tn.