Morocco Plans Major Highway Expansion Ahead of 2030 World Cup

The Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, indicated this Monday at the House of Representatives that the continental highway Rabat-Casablanca would be completed in 2029. He also mentioned ongoing studies for a future Fez-Marrakech highway. These works are part of the preparation of national infrastructures for hosting the Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup.

These sporting events also involve specific investments. Nearly 5 billion dirhams are thus planned to improve road and highway access to the future Grand Stade of Casablanca. According to the minister, this budget includes about 3.9 billion dirhams for direct road improvements and about 1.1 billion for the redevelopment of the Aïn Harrouda and Sidi Maârouf highway interchanges.

The realization of these various projects is guided by a strategy of accelerating the pace of work and partnership with the regions. "We have tried as much as possible to conclude partnerships with the regions," said Nizar Baraka. A road programming for the horizon 2040 is established according to regional priorities, with the objective of ensuring "territorial justice" in the distribution of infrastructures.

Parallel to the network expansion, the ministry dedicates about 3 billion dirhams per year to the maintenance of existing roads, which represents 46% of the overall road budget. The maintenance strategy focuses on repairing roads in poor condition, consolidating bridges presenting risks, and increasing the capacity of engineering structures to meet traffic evolution.