Morocco’s Highway Authority Unveils Ambitious 2020 Expansion Plans

Expansion of the network, construction of the new 30 km dedicated highway from Tit-Mellil to Berrechid (for a financing of more than 2 billion dirhams), launch of the 105 km Gercif-Nador West Med highway and the 60 km continental Casablanca-Rabat highway connecting the Rabat bypass to the Casablanca bypass... These are all projects on ADM’s 2020 agenda.

Reviewing the 2019 fiscal year, Anouar Benazzouz, CEO of Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM), hinted that significant progress has been made. "Highway traffic is growing by more than 5% as of December 27, well beyond GDP growth. The evolution of traffic is generally close to GDP growth for heavy goods vehicles because it is an economic activity," he said in an interview with La Vie éco.

According to the CEO of ADM, the speed of major repairs has accelerated as well as the growth rate of electronic toll collection (807,000 in 2019 compared to 400,000 in 2016). Anouar Benazzouz also stated that the majority of ADM’s service providers today are Moroccan entities.

"ADM’s economic model, which has worked well so far, consists of a structure in which the State provides 25% of the investment and the remaining 75% is financed through debt. Once the structure is built, the toll allows to pay back the principal and the debt. Except that not all highways are profitable," he said.

According to his explanations, out of the 1,800 km network, only 800 km are balanced to date, while 1,000 km are in deficit and unable to pay their debt. "We are doing a pooling for the State which will help us to guarantee the development of the territory," assured the CEO of ADM.