01Background
At peak hours, the approaches to Port Louis and the M1 motorway are gridlocked. Traffic jams weigh on national productivity and on the quality of life of tens of thousands of road users.
02Objectives
To ease traffic through four major projects, presented by the Minister to the National Assembly on 24 May 2016: the A1-M1 link and its bridge over the Grand River North West, the Ring Road, the Quay D junction, and the Jumbo, Phoenix and Dowlut interchanges connected to the Terre Rouge–Verdun road.
03Results
The programme, first estimated at Rs 34 billion, was scaled back to Rs 15 billion. Following a mission to South Korea in November 2015, Korea Expressway Corporation carried out its technical and financial audit, and a memorandum of understanding was signed on 5 April 2016. The Phoenix and A1-M1 contracts were awarded, with works starting on 30 March and 6 April 2018 respectively. The third lane at Riche Terre and the Decaen bridge were also set in motion.
04Impact
The works launched during his tenure were subsequently completed: the Jumbo flyover opened in August 2021, the Phoenix interchanges were finished in 2022, and the A1-M1 bridge was inaugurated in February 2024, creating a new northern access to the capital. Phases 2 and 3 of the Ring Road, suspended in 2021, have not been built.