DAKAR, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Stretching nearly 100 km across western Senegal, the Mbour-Kaolack highway project is approaching completion, with construction teams working to finalize the remaining sections.
On the outskirts of Mbour, with temperatures nearing 38 degrees Celsius, heat shimmers above sections of roadway already marked with freshly painted traffic lines. Lined in places with bougainvillea, the expressway extends inland. The 99.2-km main route has achieved an overall completion rate of more than 90 percent.
Work continues at a steady pace on the dusty construction site swept by dry winds. Remaining tasks include laying foundation layers, paving asphalt and coordinating the continuous movement of heavy machinery, all requiring close attention to quality standards, safety requirements and the construction schedule.
One of the main technical challenges lies beneath the roadway. As the expressway runs inland, it crosses extensive areas of fine sand and saline soils. To ensure subgrade stability and reduce settlement, large volumes of laterite fill have been required.
However, suitable laterite is not available near the project site.
"About 40 percent of the laterite used for subgrade had to be transported from borrow pits located 80 to more than 100 km away," said Jiang Yong, project manager with China Road and Bridge Corporation, the contractor of the highway.
According to Ju Zhicheng, deputy project manager, the decision to organize the extraction and transport of laterite directly enabled tighter quality control.
"This solution required more effort, but it allowed us to control the raw materials and ensure construction quality," he said.
Logistics has posed additional challenges. On an overseas construction project, the delivery of spare parts and consumables can take longer due to transport distances and procedural requirements.
"A single missing component can interrupt a construction sequence," Jiang said, adding that the teams built up safety stocks of spare parts and materials to prevent work stoppages.
Although the expressway is designed as a fully fenced facility, planners sought to preserve traditional mobility routes used by rural communities and livestock. Following field surveys, 289 crossings and bridges were built to allow the passage of people and herds.
The project has also generated significant local employment. At peak construction periods, more than 2,200 Senegalese workers were engaged on the site, representing nearly 10,000 employment opportunities in total.
Daily on-site cooperation has gradually reduced language barriers. Mathieu Kodjo, a Togolese interpreter who has worked on the project for three years, said many Senegalese workers now communicate directly with their Chinese colleagues without the help of interpreters.
Modou Fall, a human resources assistant on the project, highlighted sustained skills transfer that has taken place. Many young workers have acquired technical qualifications in surveying, laboratory testing and heavy equipment operation, contributing to the development of a local skilled workforce.
In Jiang's view, the expressway, which forms part of a broader regional transport network, will strengthen connections eastward toward Mali and southward toward The Gambia. Together with the existing national road, the new route is expected to improve the movement of goods and passengers.
For regular road users, the changes are expected to translate mainly into shorter travel times. Babou Marone, a public transport driver from Dakar who frequently uses the old national road, cited speed bumps in villages and trucks parked along the roadside as common causes of delays.
"Before, the journey took more than three hours. After the expressway opens, it will take less than an hour and a half," he estimated.
As construction nears completion, the newly painted white centerline stretches toward the horizon, still untouched by traffic. Once open, the expressway is set to provide more reliable transport along one of Senegal's major corridors. Enditem
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