Experience

Experience built on road projects in many regions of Algeria

SARL ETAHG has completed road projects in many regions of Algeria and knows the terrain of those regions. Its fleet was assembled to build roads, and that experience now informs everything the company offers: aggregate production, equipment rental, project mobilization and water well drilling.

01Background

Built on road projects

Before offering its equipment to others, ETAHG used it mainly to build roads. Road works are demanding: long linear sites, large volumes of earth and aggregates, strict levels and tight schedules. They test machines, crews and organization every day, and they move from one landscape to another along the alignment.

This background shapes how we work today. We plan for production, because a paving train or a concrete plant cannot wait for material. We plan for the terrain, because ground, climate and access change the choice of machines and methods. And we plan for distance, because Algeria is the largest country in Africa and many sites are far from towns, workshops and suppliers.

02Terrain

What each terrain demands

Algeria’s four broad landscapes call for four different ways of building. The notes below summarize the know-how involved.

  • Coastal Tell

    Near the Mediterranean, soils are often clayey and winter rainfall is higher. Roads depend on good drainage, subgrade treatment and careful compaction, often next to existing traffic and dense settlements.

    • Drainage first
    • Subgrade treatment
    • Traffic management
  • Atlas mountains

    The Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas bring cuts in rock, high embankments, retaining works and tight bends. Powerful dozers and excavators, experienced operators and attention to slope stability make the difference.

    • Rock excavation
    • Cut and fill balance
    • Slope stability
  • High Plateaus

    The steppe between the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas offers long alignments and large volumes. Productivity, steady aggregate supply, wind, freeze–thaw in winter and soft ground near the salt flats shape the schedule.

    • High production
    • Steady aggregate supply
    • Seasonal planning
  • Sahara

    In the desert, sand, heat and remoteness dominate. Sites must be self-sufficient in fuel, parts and water, drifting sand must be managed, and pavements must tolerate high temperatures.

    • Self-sufficient sites
    • Water well drilling
    • Heat and sand

03Summary

Terrain and its effect on the works

How Algeria’s main landscapes affect road building and water well drilling
TerrainMain constraintsRoad-building responseDrilling considerations
Coastal TellClay soils, winter rain, traffic, dense land useDrainage, subgrade treatment, phased works under trafficAlluvial and limestone aquifers; salt water near the coast
Atlas mountainsSteep slopes, rock, landslide risk, bendsRock excavation, cut and fill balance, retaining and slope worksFissured rock; access for the rig is often the main constraint
High PlateausCold winters, hot summers, wind, salt flats (chotts)High-production earthworks and paving, steady aggregate supply, seasonal planningSedimentary basins of variable depth; saline water near the chotts
SaharaSand, heat, distance, scarce waterSand management, heat-resistant asphalt, local materials such as calcareous tuff, self-sufficient sitesComplexe Terminal and deep Albian aquifers; warm water under pressure at depth

04For partners

What this experience means for a partner

  • 01

    Realistic planning

    Schedules and resources that account for the terrain, the season and the distances involved.

  • 02

    The right machines

    Equipment chosen for the ground and the scope, not only for availability.

  • 03

    Material supply in mind

    Aggregate needs identified early, with our own crushing plant as a source.

  • 04

    Self-sufficient sites

    Fuel, water and parts planned for sites far from towns and workshops.

05Locations

Where we are based

Our bases in Djelfa and Ghardaïa sit on the main north–south axis, between the Mediterranean north and the Sahara.

Schematic map of SARL ETAHG locations along the Algiers – Djelfa – Ghardaïa axisTell AtlasHigh PlateausSaharan AtlasNorthern SaharaMediterranean SeaRN1RN11BounouraRegistered office2DjelfaEquipment depot3Oued Sdeur, Aïn El IbelQuarry and stone crushing plant4Mohammadia, AlgiersSpare parts store and depotN
Schematic diagram, not to scale.
  1. Registered office

    Bounoura

    Wilaya of Ghardaïa

    Cité 400 Logements, Sidi Abbaz

    Where SARL ETAHG is registered. Bounoura lies in the M’zab valley, in the wilaya of Ghardaïa, in the northern Algerian Sahara.

  2. Equipment depot

    Djelfa

    Wilaya of Djelfa

    Base of the heavy equipment fleet, on the High Plateaus and on the RN1, the main north–south road between Algiers and the Sahara.

  3. Quarry and stone crushing plant

    Oued Sdeur, Aïn El Ibel

    Wilaya of Djelfa

    Carrière Djellal El Gharbi

    The company’s own quarry, where rock is extracted and crushed into fine aggregates, near Aïn El Ibel, south of Djelfa.

    Tel.: +213 660 36 75 50 / +213 660 36 75 51Fax: +213 27 90 46 13

  4. Spare parts store and depot

    Mohammadia, Algiers

    Wilaya of Algiers

    EURL KAYLE KENNY, the group’s spare parts company, with stock in Algiers.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Working in a demanding location?

Tell us about the terrain and the scope, and we will tell you how we would approach it. Information on past road projects can be discussed with prospective partners.