Casablanca–Agadir expressway
A3 | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
 Morocco Egypt
|
| 2 | Marr. West Interchg. | - | Chichaoua | 51 km | 810 (1060) | Burhan |  Kuwait
|
| 3 | Chichaoua | – | Imintanoute | 33 km | 753 (975) | SEPROB SNCE |
Morocco
|
| 4 | Imintanout | PK13 | Argana | 59 km | 2125 (2644) | TECNOVIA COVEC |
 Portugal China
|
| 5 | Argana | PK 20 | Ameskroud | 46 km | 1754 (2132) | DOGUS |  Turkey
|
| 6 | Ameskroud | - | Agadir | 11 km | 287 (293) | Planum Mostogradnja |
 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Junction between A3 and A1
|
km 0 | Had Soualem El Jadida |
A1 |
| Rabat Tanger Oujda | |||
 32
|
2 kilometers (1.2 mi) | Ville Verte Bouskoura |
P3011 |
| 37
|
7 kilometers (4.3 mi) | Bouskoura | P3013 |
| 313
|
13 kilometers (8.1 mi) |  Airport Mohammed V
|
P3038 |
 Toll(Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
15 kilometers (9.3 mi) | Nouaceur toll station | |
| Toll (Casablanca - Agadir direction) 321 (Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
21 kilometers (13 mi) | Berrechid toll station Berrechid North |
N12 |
| Junction between A3 and A4
|
25 kilometers (16 mi) | Khouribga Béni Mellal |
A4 |
 Junction between A3 andTit Mellil-Berrechid expressway (Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
Tit Mellil-Berrechid expressway under construction | ||
| 332
|
32 kilometers (20 mi) | Berrechid South Khouribga Béni Mellal |
N12 |
|
35 kilometers (22 mi) | Service area Berrechid |
|
| 352
|
52 kilometers (32 mi) | Settat North | P3606 |
| 365
|
65 kilometers (40 mi) | Settat Center El Borouj |
R308 |
|
|
75 kilometers (47 mi) | Service area Settat |
|
| 3104
|
104 kilometers (65 mi) | Machraa Ben Abbou | P3503 |
 Oued
|
106 kilometers (66 mi) | Oued Oum Rbia | |
|
|
107 kilometers (66 mi) | Service area Oum Rbia |
|
| 3127
|
127 kilometers (79 mi) | Skhour Rhamna | N9 |
|
|
154 kilometers (96 mi) | Service area Ben Guerir |
|
| 3160
|
160 kilometers (99 mi) | Ben Guerir Youssoufia El Kelaa des Sraghna |
R206 |
 (Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
194 kilometers (121 mi) | Rest area Sidi Bou Othmane |
|
(Agadir - Casablanca direction) |
Service area Sidi Bou Othmane | ||
| Junction between A3 and A301
|
198 kilometers (123 mi) | Marrakech Palmeraie | A301 |
| 3214
|
214 kilometers (133 mi) | Marrakech Tamansourt Safi El Jadida |
N7 |
|
|
228 kilometers (142 mi) | Service area Marrakech |
|
| 3232
|
232 kilometers (144 mi) | Marrakech Targa | P2006 |
| 3248
|
248 kilometers (154 mi) | Marrakech Loudaya Sidi Zouine |
N8 |
|
|
km 279 | Service area Chichaoua |
|
| 3282
|
282 kilometers (175 mi) | Chichaoua Essaouira per toll-free expressway |
N8 |
| 3310
|
310 kilometers (190 mi) | Imintanoute | N11 |
 Tunnel
|
325 kilometers (202 mi) | Zaouiat Ait Mellal tunnel | |
|
|
345 kilometers (214 mi) | Service area Imintanoute |
|
| 3370
|
370 kilometers (230 mi) | Argana | N11 P1713 |
(Casablanca - Agadir direction) |
406 kilometers (252 mi) | Service area | |
| Toll
|
419 kilometers (260 mi) | Amskroud toll station | |
| 3420
|
420 kilometers (260 mi) | Amskroud Taroudannt |
N11 R114A |
|
|
424 kilometers (263 mi) | Service area Amskroud |
|
| Junction between A3 and N11A End of expressway |
429 kilometers (267 mi) | 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
- ^ a b 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
- ^ a b c 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