Tunisia's Ministry of Equipment Reveals Alarming State of Roads and Bridges
The Ministry of Equipment has unveiled a disturbing and in-depth diagnosis of the state of roads and bridges in Tunisia, highlighting accelerated aging, underinvestment, and structural risks. A massive investment plan is being drawn up to avoid a major infrastructure crisis.
The Ministry of Equipment has revealed a long-feared reality: a significant portion of Tunisia's road network and bridges are currently under strain, weakened by decades of pressure, wear and tear, and irregular maintenance. This targeted and in-depth diagnosis, established after several months of technical audits, highlights an urgent need for rehabilitation and modernization, estimated to be in the billions of dinars, to avoid failures with potentially severe consequences for national mobility.
According to the initial conclusions made public, nearly a third of the classified road network suffers from advanced degradation, visible in both urban areas and strategic axes connecting regions. Repeated weather events, increased heavy traffic, and the lack of regular budgets dedicated to maintenance have accelerated wear and tear.
Certain sections, deemed "sensitive" or rather "fragile," even present medium-term rupture risks if no construction work is undertaken. In other words, if no action is taken promptly. Bridges, considered high-risk infrastructure, are not exempt from this alert. Several of them require immediate intervention, ranging from structural reinforcement to partial reconstruction.
The Ministry warns that a massive and coordinated effort must be launched to secure these essential structures, particularly those located on economic corridors used daily by transporters. Faced with this disturbing picture, the Equipment Department is preparing a multi-year investment plan to modernize the entire network. This plan provides for the mobilization of national financing, but also the opening up to international partnerships as a solution to accelerate work and improve safety standards.
The stated objective is clear: to avoid at all costs Tunisia being confronted with an infrastructure crisis, while ensuring economic continuity and the circulation of goods and people. Beyond the technical findings, this report sounds like a political call to prioritize road and bridge maintenance, long relegated to the background.
In short, for the Ministry, modernizing the network is no longer a choice, it's a national emergency.
Key Points:
- Nearly a third of Tunisia's classified road network suffers from advanced degradation
- Bridges are considered high-risk infrastructure, with several requiring immediate intervention
- A massive investment plan is being drawn up to modernize the entire network and avoid a major infrastructure crisis
- The Ministry is seeking to mobilize national financing and international partnerships to accelerate work and improve safety standards
- The objective is to ensure economic continuity and the circulation of goods and people, while avoiding a national infrastructure crisis.
