Tunisia's A1 or A-1 motorway is a 247 km road connecting

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

and

Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterrane ...

. In the map shown, the A-1 is in red. The highway was built from

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

at the north end toward the south and is continuing to be extended. The A-1 is conceived of as part of an international project, sometimes called the Trans-Maghreb or Trans-North Africa HighwayFrédéric Dubessy
Jigsaw of Trans-North Africa Highway nears completion
21 May 2013 or Trans-African Highway 1 that is planned to reach from Cairo to Dakar. There are three lanes each way from Tunis to Hammamet then two lanes each way from Hammamet to Sfax. It is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...

part of the way. Road signs are in Arabic and French. The speed limit on Tunisian highways is 110 km/h.

History

The first section connected Tunis to

Turki Chagatai (چغتای, ''Čaġatāy''), also known as ''Turki'', Eastern Turkic, or Chagatai Turkic (''Čaġatāy türkīsi''), is an extinct Turkic literary language that was once widely spoken across Central Asia and remained the shared literar ...

(near Grombalia) in 1981. It was extended to Hammamet in 1986, to

Enfidha Enfidha (or Dar-el-Bey, ar, دار البي ') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia with a population of approximately 10,000. It is visited by tourists on their way to Takrouna. Enfidha is located at around . It lies on the railway between Tunis ...

in 1994, and to

in 2008.

Further construction

An extension south to

Gabès Gabès (, ; ar, قابس, ), also spelled Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate in Tunisia. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 152,921, Gabès is the 6th largest ...

is underway. It had been planned for completion earlier but progress slowed after the Tunisian revolution of 2011. Since at least 2014 the European Investment Bank has provided some financing for extensions.Tunisia: EUR 250 million (TND 554 million) lent for road infrastructure and SMEs
European Investment Bank news release 23 Feb 2016 A 2013 report said: "Currently under construction, the Sfax-Gabès highway (155 km) should be completed in early 2014, with an investment of €470 m." After that, 182 km remain from Gabès to

Medenine Medenine ( ar, مدنين ) is the major town in south-eastern Tunisia, south of the port of Gabès and the Island of Djerba, on the main route to Libya. It is the capital of Medenine Governorate. Overview In pre-colonial times, Medenine wa ...

, Ben Gardane, and to Ras Jedir on the

Libyan Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

border.

Distances, rest areas, and exits

The planned route from Tunis to the Libyan frontier is 573 km: * Tunis-Hammamet (51 km) * Hammamet-M'saken (92 km) with an exit at Sousse * M'saken-Sfax (97 km) with an exit at

Mahdia Mahdia ( ar, المهدية ') is a Tunisian coastal city with 62,189 inhabitants, south of Monastir and southeast of Sousse. Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as w ...

* Sfax-Gabès (151 km, under development) * Gabès-Libyan border (182 km, planned for 2018) There are service areas at Grombalia, Sidi Khelifa, Borjine, and El Jem. Exits and interchanges are, in order: the interchange between A1 and Olympic City November 7th,

Hammam Lif Hammam-Lif ( ar, حمام الأنف, pronounced hammam linf) is a coastal town about 20 km south-east of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been known since antiquity for its thermal springs originating in Mount Bou Kornine. History ...

Mornag Mornag is a small town and commune in Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital ...

, Grombalia,

, Hammamet-Nord, Golf Hammamet, Hammamet, Hammamet-Sud, Bouficha,

Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport is an airport in Enfidha, Tunisia, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest from the town of Hammamet. The airport is mostly used by European airlines bringing travellers to Tunisian holiday res ...

, Hergla, Sidi Bou Ali,

Kalâa Kebira Kalâa Kebira is a town and commune in the Sousse Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 45,990. Kalâa Kebira was used as the host of the 2012 UNAF U-17 Tournament. History During the Roman Empire it was the site of a '' civ ...

, Sousse, Sousse city center,

M'saken M'saken ( ''Msākan''; also spelled ''Masakin'', ''Msaken'') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia, close to Sousse. Etymology The origin of the word comes from "Msaken" masken (plural masken) meaning "habitat", "house" or "dwelling". This refer ...

, Jemmel, Kerker,

El Jem El Djem or El Jem (Tunisian Arabic:, ') is a town in Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia. Its population was 21,576 during the 2014 census. It is home to Roman remains including the " Amphitheater of El Jem". History The Roman city of Thysdrus was buil ...

, El Hencha, and Sfax-Nord

References

Gallery

File:Tunisian highway Grombalia.jpg, Exit to Turki/Grombalia File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 sortie Boumerdas.jpg, Exit to Bou Merdes File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 aire de service Grombalia.jpg, Rest area at Grombalia File:Autoroute1.jpg, A1 toll in

Mornag Mornag is a small town and commune in Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital ...

at sunset File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 Extension 1.jpg, File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 sortie Aéroport.jpg, Exit to the

File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 sortie Hammamet.jpg, Exit to Hammamet File:Tunisie Autoroute A1 sortie Hergla.jpg, Exit to Hergla

External links

* Wikivoyage:Tunisia discusses travel on Tunisian highways {{DEFAULTSORT:A001 motorway Motorways in Tunisia