Rabat–Tangier expressway in 2002. In July 2005, 12 years after the start of construction, the totality of the axis was completed. The axis technically comprises also the Rabat bypass, although it does not conform with motorway regulations. Before its opening in 1997, getting to the origin of the road was a hard task for traffic coming from Casablanca, as the centre of Rabat had to be crossed. In 2007 the toll-revenues for this road totaled 269 million dirhams (2006: 212 MDh), taking 2nd place in list of "top earners" in Morocco (Figure includes sections Tangier-RN2 and Tétouan - M'diq). <br> Figures regarding
Economy of Tangier and passenger ships. The free zone allowed Tangier to develop into an industrial pillar of the country. The Tangier-Med is the largest port in Africa and one of largest in the mediterranean sea. The complex has important economic effects in terms of jobs, creation of added value and foreign investment. Its particular position on the Straits of Gibraltar, at the crossing of two major maritime routes, and 15 km from the European Union enables it to serve a market of hundreds of millions of consumers through the industrial and commercial free zones which will be run by well-known private operators.