Egypt spent EGP 22.5 billion on roads and bridges that were completed between 2014 and 2017, Transport Minister Hisham Arafat announced Monday, according to a statement from the ministry.

These investments include 10 new roads worth EGP 12.8 billion as part of the National Roads Project as well as the further development of 2000 kilometers of existent roads at a cost of EGP 5.7 billion, the statement read.

These projects come in addition to the construction of four interchange hubs over the Nile at a cost of EGP 1.9 billion.

EGP 2.1 billion were also spent on the building of a number of bridges, including along the Desert Road and the Cairo-Suez Road.

Meanwhile, Egypt is currently spending EGP 32.9 billion on further transportation infrastructure projects, including EGP 16 billion on eight roads under the National Roads Project (NRP), Arafat said.

Ongoing projects also include 2500 kilometers of existent roads network currently being upgraded at a cost of EGP 7 billion, eight interchange hubs that are being built on the Nile at an EGP 8.5 billion cost, and 10 bridges that are being built worth EGP 1.4 billion.

The Transport Ministry is now working on the third phase of the NRP, having lain a total of 896 kilometers during the project, the minister said.

Egypt has been prioritizing transport infrastructure investments since President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi announced the NRP in August 2014 in a plan build 4,400 kilometers of new roads.

Transport and logistics activity represented 3.1% of GDP in fiscal year 2014-15, according to the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones.

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