Algeria: Highways will remain free

After years of debate and uncertainty, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has put an end to the hesitation and declared:

There will be no tollbooths on the highways,

during his periodic interview with the national press broadcast this Saturday.

Algerian motorway network

The main highway in question is the recently built 1216km East-West Highway, which runs the length of the entire north of the country. Construction of toll plazas has begun and is at an advanced stage. A total of 48 toll plazas were built in the mid-2010s. Ministers have announced the implementation of a toll system for this highway, which suffers from maintenance problems, but each time the deadline is postponed. Furthermore, in 2024, a rumor circulated about the introduction of tolls on the East-West Highway, but the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure quickly responded, stating that the option was not under consideration. Then, in 2025, an announcement was made that tolls would not be introduced that year. So, 2026 is the year the verdict is in. This now raises another question: what will become of these toll plazas, which were so expensively constructed?

The president's decision is based on a pragmatic analysis of the network's current situation. The government deemed it inappropriate to impose a toll on infrastructure that still requires significant maintenance work.

Indeed, several sections of the East-West highway are suffering from deterioration that impacts the safety and comfort of users. The idea is simple: payment cannot be demanded for a service whose quality is not yet optimal along the entire route.

This is reassuring news for Algerian motorists.