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A Chinese achievement that completes the East-West Highway
Faced with the resurgence of accidents on the East-West motorway, particularly on the section connecting Lakhdaria (Bouira) to Larbaâtache (Khemis El-Khechna in Boumerdès), the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructures has just set up an emergency plan comprising nine priority measures to strengthen security and improve the state of this strategic route.
These measures include repairing cracks, renewal of the ground marking, replacing the signaling panels and safety barriers, as well as the maintenance of control equipment, dilation joints of bridges and tunnel installations. The objective is to strengthen road safety and correct the deformations and degradations that affect this strategic axis, particularly on the path reserved for heavy goods vehicles.
Arrested by a deputy for the National People’s Assembly, Minister Lakhdar Rekhroukh recalled that the technical studies of the section concerned had been carried out by foreign offices according to international standards. However, he pointed out that accidents are linked to several factors, including non-compliance with the highway code, speeding and non-compliance with safety distances.
The Minister also pointed out the responsibility of heavy goods vehicles, often overloaded and difficult to control in the event of bad weather. These offenses lead to rapid wear of the road and weaken the works, particularly on the right track reserved for trucks.
To meet these challenges, the Ministry of Public Works and the Algerian Highway Society has initiated a global maintenance plan. This provides for the treatment of cracks throughout the highway, the repair of the horizontal marking, the repair and replacement of the damaged signaling panels, the installation of new light reflectors, as well as the restoration of the safety barriers in concrete and metal.
The work also includes the maintenance of the control devices, the dilation joints of the bridges and the equipment related to the tunnels.
Regarding the section connecting Ouled Oualli and the Labaâtache entrance, the ministry indicated that the rehabilitation of the roadway between the western Lakhdaria exchanger and the entrance to Larbaâtache over 28 km was completed in March 2024, with the correction of all the shortcomings raised.
The ministry also said that the Algerian motorway company has also launched technical expertise on the Larbaâtache – Bouira section, entrusted to a group of Algerian design offices, in order to identify all failures and propose final solutions.
The ministry stressed that the illegal overload of heavy goods vehicles, beyond the authorized limits, remains one of the main accident factors. To combat this phenomenon, the sector is being acquired from 126 weight control units, which will be used in coordination with the security services.
In conclusion, Minister Rekhroukh reaffirmed the government’s determination to continue its efforts to ensure the safety of users of the East-West highway and improve the infrastructures of this vital section, for the benefit of citizens and national interest.