Algeria to rely on China firm to build most challenging mega highway project

ALGIERS -- Algeria has been increasingly relying on China's expertise in infrastructure, especially highway construction.

The North African nation has decided to link its north and south with a super highway, the expects the road to be ready for traffic in 2025.

The CSCEC, China's state-run construction and engineering giant,

according to the contract, will be responsible for 53 km of the mega road, the most difficult section of the project.

Chen Daiguang, CSCEC project manager, told Xinhua that it is the most difficult project his company signed up to in Algeria, and it is also the most important part of the whole program.

The Chinese-sponsored section stands to be the most challenging and complicated is due to the mountainous characteristics of the site. To cope with the harsh geological conditions, the Chinese company has to build a total of 40 bridges and two tunnels, each one 2.4 km long.

Despite the difficulties, the company said it pays a great deal of attention to the environment, and intends to maintain the bio-diversity and protect the wildlife in the mountainous area.

The region is a home to a special kind of monkey, called "Barbary macaque," which is an endangered species in Algeria.

"We have asked our employees to respect the environment, as we have adopted some techniques to minimize the noise and dust, so as not to disturb the animals and the environment in general," Chen added.

Tekal Abdellah, a CESCEC official in charge of local workers, said the project has been proceeding well.

The North-South highway is a dual three-lane way linking capital Algiers and the border town of In-Guezzam.

The first phase of the mega highway will run across five provinces, and covers a distance of 1,013 km, while the succeeding stage would prolong the road to the border region with Mali, adding the total length to more than 1300 km.