VOIRIES PRIORITAIRES IV

The project consists of the rehabilitation and upgrading of urban road infrastructure in Greater Tunis (interchanges and main arterial routes) and the cities of Monastir and Médenine (city bypasses and partial upgrading of main arterial routes).

The schemes envisaged are in line with the multiannual roads programmes drawn up by the Tunisian authorities under the Greater Tunis Roads Master Plan for the conurbation of Tunis and the Arterial Roads programme for upgrading the main arterial routes in the country's other cities.

The project constitutes the second stage of the Promoter's investment programme as set out in the Tunisian Republic's 10th five-year development plan for the period 2002 to 2006.

It will contribute to improving the structure of the existing urban road network and alleviating traffic conditions in the areas concerned. The continuous traffic growth (6% per year) requires the country's road infrastructure to be constantly upgraded. Improving the transport network is an essential precondition to the country's continued development.

Apart from the inevitable disturbances during the construction period, especially for road traffic affected by the sub-projects located in Greater Tunis, the project’s environmental impact will be limited. In 1991, Tunisia adopted legislation comparable in many respects to EU Directive 97/11. Tunisian legislation requires the Promoter to carry out detailed environmental impact studies in close consultation with the local authorities, taking account of the nature, size and location of the road works concerned. Before the works for each component of the project are launched, the corresponding environmental impact studies will be submitted to ANPE (the public body set up in 1988 to monitor compliance with environmental standards in Tunisia) for possible comments and approval.

The contracts for the different components of the project will be put out to international tender with publication in the OJEU.