The Public Works Ministry has invited companies to submit bids for a project to undertake preliminary studies on a proposed 160-kilometre highway project in the northern part of Algeria.

The Directorate of Public Works for the Wilaya of Tissemsilt has invited international and local companies to submit tenders for the project to carry out a preliminary design study on the proposed highway, which will link Khemis-Miliana and Tissemsilt Tiaret.

The project is part of Algeria’s 2010-14 development plan, in which Algeria has earmarked about $30bn to spend on upgrading roads and expanding its railway network.

In January, Algeria’s Public Works ministry said it was planning to launch 15 new road projects in 2011 worth an estimated AD30bn ($404m).

The 15 projects will all be in the capital Algiers. The road projects will be designed to reduce congestion and ensure the free flow of traffic in the capital. The roads will also link Algiers with other urban areas, such as Ben Aknou-Dar el-Beida. One road will be a 2km viaduct linking Baraki to Oued Ouchayah and the widening of smaller roads.

In addition to expanding its road network, Algeria is planning to build more than 200 tram lines across 14 cities over the next 10 years to cope with increasing levels of congestion in its cities.