Why it matters

In less than a decade, the population of Dar Bouazza has more than doubled, as have real estate projects and shopping centers. However, the road infrastructure has not kept pace with the daily flow of thousands of vehicles traveling on the sole road connecting this area, located about twenty kilometers from the metropolis, to downtown Casablanca.

This situation has been sharply criticized by local residents, who have organized into a collective to make their voices heard.

What will be done:

The concerns of local residents have found a positive response from the local authorities, who have launched a major project aimed at tripling the Azemmour regional road and installing 4 underpasses, as part of the Casablanca-West Mobility Program, with a total budget of 2 billion dirhams, according to our sources.

The project includes the duplication of several provincial and regional roads, notably the RR320, RP3018, RP3003, and RP3001, as well as the national road RN1. It also plans to upgrade the section between RR320 and RP3012 to 2×2 lanes, extend RP3003 to the highway, and create a penetrating axis in Casablanca between RN1 and RP3018 in 2×2 lanes.

Additionally, the program includes the development of several interchanges, particularly at the intersection of the southwest ring road with RP3014 and RP3018, as well as with RN1. Four underpasses will also be created: one at the intersection of the southwest ring road and RR320 (1 km), another at the intersection of RP3003 and RR320 (450 meters), one at the intersection of Sidi El Khadir and RR320 (450 meters), and finally one along the axis parallel to the southwest ring road and RR320 (300 meters).

Who is funding it

The financial contributions will be distributed as follows: Ministry of the Interior (350 million dirhams), Ministry of Equipment (250 million dirhams), Ministry of Land Planning (250 million dirhams), Casablanca-Settat Region (250 million dirhams), Casablanca Prefectural Council (75 million dirhams), Nouaceur Provincial Council (65 million dirhams), Casablanca Municipal Council (100 million dirhams), Dar Bouazza Municipality (65 million dirhams), Oulad Azzouz Municipality (20 million dirhams), and the Economic Interest Grouping (575 million dirhams).

Who is in charge

According to a source at SDL Casablanca Aménagement, the technical study phase for the entire program is complete, the overall progress of the construction work is at 20%, and the opening is expected in December 2024.

SDL Casablanca Aménagement, responsible for this project, has selected two engineering firms for the project management phase: Conseil Ingénierie et Développement (CID) and NOVEC, a subsidiary of the CDG group, for respective amounts of 8.52 million and 9.3 million dirhams. The first phase of the project is being carried out by Grands Travaux Routiers (GTR), with a budget exceeding 237 million dirhams. The second phase has been assigned to the TGCC consortium and the company Houar, with a budget exceeding 306 million dirhams.

According to a source at SDL Casablanca Aménagement, the technical study phase for the entire program is complete, the construction work is 20% complete overall, and the opening is expected in December 2024.

Written in French by Younes Saoury, edited in English by Eric Nielson