Republic of Tunisia

Regional and Rural Roads Network (Phase III)
Loan No: 608 Interest Rate: 3.0 %
Beneficiary: Ministry of Equipment, Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Grace Period: 5 years
Project Cost: KD 53.7 million Maturity: 22 years
Amount of Loan: KD 40.0 million Repayment: 35 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: - First Installment: 5 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2014-04-08 Date of Loan Effectiveness: 2014-10-09

Objectives:

The project aims at improving land transportation in a number of Tunisian governorates, and linking agricultural production areas with markets and export facilities. This will be achieved through the construction and rehabilitation of a number of regional and rural roads. The Arab Fund has also financed the first two phases of the project.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, includes the construction and strengthening of several segments of the classified regional road network, and the construction and improvement of a large number of rural roads, in addition to technical services required for construction supervision and quality control. The project includes the following main components:

  1. Development of the Regional Road Network: This includes the construction and strengthening of 7 segments distributed over 6 governorates. These segments have a total length of about 210 km, with an asphaltic width ranging between 7 m and 8 m, and shoulders on each side with a width ranging between 1.5 m and 2.75 m. It also includes water drainage structures and other ancillary works.
  2. Construction of Rural Roads: This includes the construction and improvement of 117 rural roads, distributed over 22 governorates, with a total length of about 750 km, and overall width ranging between 8 m and 11 m. It also includes water drainage structures and other ancillary works.
  3. Technical Services: This includes providing consultancy services to assist the Ministry in construction supervision and quality control of the works. It also includes the preparation of additional studies that may be required for the project execution, and any modifications of the project design.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 74% of the total project cost. The Tunisian Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may arise.