Mauritius is witnessing a new phase in road network modernisation with the start of construction works of the A1-M1 Link Road and a 350 m long and 90 m high bridge, which will be the longest bridge in Mauritius. This venture is the second project under the Road Decongestion Programme and in the coming years, Mauritius will be a reference with regard to road infrastructure development.
The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement yesterday at the kick off of construction works of the A1-M1 Link Road and Bridge at Belle A�toile in Coromandel.
According to Prime Minister Jugnauth, the new road will improve the distribution of traffic within the network of A1 Road and M1 Motorway, and reduce traffic congestion to a significant level at Reduit and EbAne by providing an alternative access to the city of Port Louis to traffic originating from Rose Hill, Beau Bassin, Chebel, Chapman Hill, and upper Coromandel.
The overall aim, he added, is to provide an effective and efficient road network to support the socio-economic development of Mauritius by improving the fluidity of traffic to reduce congestion time; decreasing accidents by providing road safety; and enhancing the level of service to road users through the provision of high quality infrastructure.
He recalled the various infrastructure projects in line with international norms which are being undertaken across the island so as to provide a modern and state-of-the-art infrastructure to the population while at the same addressing the issue of traffic congestion. These, he added, along with the Metro Express will help Mauritius achieve higher economic growth.
On this score, he pointed out that growth in construction sector is projected to rise to 9.5% in 2018 while overall economic growth is forecast at 3.9%. With the new road infrastructure, he also urged citizens to shoulder more responsibility with regards to their behaviour and attitude on the roads and adopt a safe driving culture.
For his part, the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, highlighted that the A1-M1 Link Road which is in line with Vision 2030 to transform the road network landscape in the next five years, is a great challenge for Government.
He added that the project is fully Government funded and is an integral part of the Road Decongestion Programme which also includes the grade separated junctions at Pont Fer/Jumbo/Dowlut Roundabouts and the New Pont Fer flyover, in addition to a tunnel under the Signal Mountain. These three projects, which necessitates an investment of nearly Rs 10 billion along with the Metro Express, constitute the National Integrated Transport Network Project, he stated.
Minister Bodha also expressed interest to share the Mauritian expertise with regard to various road infrastructure projects in Africa, which he said represent future opportunities for Mauritian investors in the construction industry.
Source: Government of Mauritius
