Kingdom of Morocco

Expansion of Casablanca – Rabat  Motorway
Loan No: 538 Interest Rate: 3.0 %
Beneficiary: Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc Grace Period: 5 years
Project Cost: KD 33.6 million Maturity: 22 years
Amount of Loan: KD 20.0 million Repayment: 35 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: - First Installment: 5 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2009-05-26 Date of Loan Effectiveness: 2029-02-11


Objectives:

The project aims at improving land transportation services on the road network to accommodate the rapidly growing road traffic and reduce traffic accidents. This project also contributes to the economic and social development of Morocco, especially in the north western regions.

Description:

The project comprises the expansion of the motorway between Casablanca and Rabat which has a total length of approximately 57.5 km, and now consists of two lanes in each direction. The expansion will be achieved by adding a third lane in each direction. The project, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2012, includes the following components:

  1. Civil Works: This includes earth and pavement works related to the expansion of the motorway, structural works related to the expansion of the main bridges over the rivers, as well as rehabilitation and improvement of over- passes and under-passes, and drainage works. 
  2. Ancillary Works: This includes improvement and development of buildings and equipment of toll stations, and installation of traffic lights and other safety equipment. It also includes environmental protection works, extending and restoring the services affected by the project such as water pipelines, telephone and electricity lines, in addition to building fences along the sides of the road.
  3. Project Management: This includes setting up a project implementation unit to manage the project execution, providing consultancy services to assist in project supervision and implementation of the technical aspects of the project, as well as obtaining the services of specialized quality control laboratories.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 60.0% of the total project cost. The borrower, Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc, and the Moroccan Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may arise.