The Casablanca–Rabat expressway, designated A1, was the first

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

to be built in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, with construction starting in the 1970s. It was only completed in 1986 after a 7-year halt. It was originally free of charge, but a toll station was erected at

Bouznika Bouznika ( ar, بوزنيقة, būznīqa, ber, ⴱⵓⵣⵏⵉⵇⴰ, buzniqa) is a city in Casablanca-Settat, Morocco, in the historical region of Chaouia. Etymology The city name means "Owner of the small alley" in Arabic Arabic (, ...

in 1993 as part of a new strategy in Moroccan expressway construction. Traffic between

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

and

Mohammedia Mohammedia ( ar, المحمدية, al-muḥammadiyya; ber, ⴼⴹⴰⵍⴰ, Fḍala), known until 1960 as Fedala, is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most imp ...

west, as well as from

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

to Aïn Atiq travel free of charge. In December 2012 the operator of the road, ADM widened the road to 2 X 3 lanes. Work was started in 2009. Estimated costs for this 58 km long project are 800 Million Dirham. Main reason for expansion is the expected traffic growth, which is calculated at 55-79% between 2010 and 2020, depending on the stretch of roadUpdated projectpag
Widening A3 to 2x3 lanes
, (French), visited 17 March 2012
Toll revenues for the Casablanca–Rabat expressway are the highest in the country, generating 306 million

dirhams The dirham, dirhem or dirhm ( ar, درهم) is a silver unit of currency historically and currently used by several Arab and Arab influenced states. The term has also been used as a related unit of mass. Unit of mass The dirham was a un ...

in 2007 (252 million in 2006), nearly a third of all toll-revenues in Morocco.Main financial figures
of ADM website, visited 22 August 2008 The route starts at the centre of

, and then joins the Casablanca bypass at the junction just before the west Mohammedia interchange. It continues past the east interchange serving Mohammedia before reaching the toll station at Bouznika. After passing

Skhirat Skhirat ( ar, الصخيرات; Berber: ⴰⵙⵖⵉⵔⵔⴰⵜ) is a seaside town in Morocco situated between the administrative capital Rabat and the economic centre of Casablanca, known within Morocco for its idyllic beaches on the edge of th ...

and Aïn Atiq the road reaches

Temara Temara ( ar, تمارة; ber, ⵜⵎⴰⵔⴰ) is a coastal city in Morocco.Location information. It is located in the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, directly south of Rabat on the Atlantic coast, in the suburban area of the capital. The city h ...

on the outskirts of Rabat. Traffic going to

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

then exit at

Hay Riad Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

to converge onto the non-expressway Rabat bypass. The motorway regulations end just before the entrance to the city at the Prince Moulay Abdellah sports complex. In 2016 the

Rabat Ringroad The Rabat Ring Road or Rabat Bypass (official name ''Rocade de contournement de Rabat'') is a Moroccan expressway around the capital Rabat.ADM with project details on thRabat Ringroad, (French), visited 17 March 2012 Background The road is const ...

was completed and then the road is start/end at this junction. Originally the motorway regulations also applied to the section west of Aïn Harrouda, through the Casablanca metropolitan area as far as Hay Hassani. These were removed in 1995 an 80 km/h

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

was imposed on this section.

References

A1 Expressway, Rabat Expressway, Casablanca {{Morocco-road-stub

See also

References