Accelerating the Pace of Major Projects in the Bridges and Roads Sector
The Minister of Equipment and Housing, Salah Zouari, accompanied by the Minister of State Domains and Land Affairs, Wajdi Hedhili, conducted a field visit yesterday to the Tunis-Jelma highway project site. The purpose of the visit was to assess the progress of the works and inspect the quarries at Jebel El-Hwereb, located in the Kairouan governorate.
Key Highlights of the Visit
According to a statement from the ministry, Zouari emphasized that this joint visit with the Minister of State Domains and Land Affairs is part of the state's strategic orientation to provide quarries from state domains for public projects. He noted that some quarries have been directly allocated to the contractors involved in the Tunis-Jelma highway project to resolve material shortages and accelerate the execution pace.
Project Overview
The minister indicated that the highway spans 185 km and has a cost of 1.7 billion dinars. He highlighted that the progress of the works has reached 30% so far, including land preparation and technical installations. Zouari affirmed that the asphalt paving works, which represent 50% of the project's cost and require enormous quarry materials, will be launched in 2026.
Efforts to Ensure Project Completion
Zouari stressed that all efforts have converged at the central level to provide the necessary quarry and technical materials to ensure the completion of this important national project within the scheduled deadline of 2027 and with the required technical specifications.
Progress of Work on Different Sections
The minister reported on the progress of completing the works on the fifth section between Sbikha and Kairouan, spanning 29.56 km, the sixth section between Kairouan and Haffouz, covering 29.56 km, the seventh section between Haffouz and Oued Zroud, stretching 21.44 km, and the eighth section between Oued Zroud and Jelma, covering 18.59 km.
Inspection of Project Components
The visit, according to the department's statement, also included the inspection of the deep foundations of the large hydraulic facility and the inspection of the quarry material storage base and the cement, asphalt, and gravel concrete plants.
Call to Action
Zouari urged contractors to strengthen the project's installations with the necessary material and human resources to further accelerate the pace of work and respect the schedule. He recommended permanent coordination between the different services, at the central and regional levels, and the contractors in charge of execution, as well as the study offices, to resolve any difficulties that may arise during the progress of the work on time.
Participants in the Visit
The visit was attended by the governors of Kairouan, Dhaker Bargaoui, and Sidi Bouzid, Fayçal Bessaoudi, as well as the directors general of bridges and roads, coordination between regional departments, and the execution unit of the Tunis-Jelma highway, and the regional director of equipment and housing in Kairouan and Sidi Bouzid, in addition to a number of central, regional, and local cadres of the department and the contractors in charge of the works.
