Chad - 2.3 Chad Road Network | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments

There is a considerable amount of roadway in Chad. As of 2018, there was 40,000 Km of road with roughly 206 Km of paved urban road. Of the 40,000 Km of road, 62.5% (25,000 Km) are national and regional roads while 37.5% (15,000 Km) are local roads. After 2018, however, little data are available on the actual size and material infrastructure of the road network. The primary authority on the maintenance and development of the national road network is the Ministry of Public Works. Despite the size of roadway, Chad suffers from an underdeveloped road network which is poorly connected to foreign markets. Flooding, which makes many roads impassable, and regional conflicts limit Chad’s road network capacity despite its geographical location.

National Road Network

The 25,000 km of roads of national or regional interest include 6,200 km of road in the National Structural Network and 18,800 km of road in the Regional Road Network (RRR). The National Structural Network is broken down into two categories: the Permanent National Network (2,578 km) and the Seasonal National Network (3,622 km).

Sections of the National Structural Network are outlined in the table below:

National Structural Network
Section	Km
N’Djamena to Djerdjeraba	32.5
Djerdjeraba to Karal	80
N’gueli to Walia to Farcha	25
N’Djamena to Mandalia	54
Mandalia to Kalgoa	42
Kalgoa to Guelengdeng	60
Guelengdeng to Bongor to Ere	165
Ere to Kelo	52
Kelo to Moundou	100
Djerdjeraba to Massaguet	46
Massaguet to N’Goura	125
N’Goura to Bokoro	106
Bokoro to Arboutchatak	66
Arboutchatak to Bitkin	77
Bitkin to Mongo	61
Mongo to Mangalmé	129
Mangalmé to Oum Hadjer	115
Oum Hadjer to Abéché	148
Massaguet to Massakory	66
Moundou to Koutéré	118
N’Djamena to Dourbali	106
Moundou to Doba	112
Doba to Koumra	91
Koumra to Sarh	113
Sarh to Banda to Maro to the Central African Republic border	125
Kelo to Pala	106
Pala to Cameroonian border	122
Massakory to Bol	186
Abéché to Sudanese border	174
Abéché to Bilitine	93
Aboudeia to Mongo	123
Abeche to Am Zoer to Guereda to Iriba to Tiné	295
Abeche to Goz Beida	210
Abou Deia to Am Timan	139
Ati to Mongo	175
Bitkin to Melfi	132
Binder to Léré	134
Bongor to the Cameroon border	7
Kélo to Gounou Gaya to Tikem	110
Djoumane to Laï to Gabri Ngolo	108
Gabri Ngolo to Doba	93
Ham to Fianga	77
Dourbali to Massenya	59
Fianga to Pala	74
Goz Beida to Am Timan	215
Doba to Goré	45
Kélo to Laï	60
Kélo to Doher to Benoye to Moundou	100
Koumra to Moissala	75
Laï to Koumra	199
Mbaikoro to Gore to Békoninga	205
Mogo to Kouno	320
Ngoura to Ati to Oum Hadjer	400
Sarh to Banda	714
Sarh to Kyabé	101
Ngouri to Mao	60
Aboudeia to Mangalmé	141
Am Timan to Haraze Mangueye	157
Kemdéré to Moïssala	199
Massakory to Moussoro	135

The 15,000 km of regional, feeder roads of local interest include two networks: rural and urban. These feeder roads are managed by local authorities with some technical and financial support from the Chadian government.

Rural Road Network

The network is typically used for the transport of agricultural products from villages to rural markets and is generally carried out by rudimentary means of transport (man, animal, cart, rickshaw, tote). More developed routes, because of constant traffic, typically have motorized transport is generally applied. Rural transport in Chad is centered around weekly markets. Rural communities are usually within 30 km of the nearest market. Traffic on rural roads is generally very low except on market days.

Distance Matrix

Distances from Major Towns (km)
	N’Djamena	Ati	Abeche	Moundou		Sarh	Doba		Bongor	Faya-Largeau	Mongo	Mao	Fada	Moussoro	Bardai	Bol	Goz Beida	Massakory
N’Djamena		27	748		473	561	500		240	775	510	312	890	300	1059	330	951	144
Ati	27		312		908	715	915		674	533	175	593	556	332	907	611	540	425
Abeche	748	312			1219	929	1129		985	489	389	904	382	643	918	922	210	735
Moundou	473	908	1219			310	112		234	1084	848	783	1119	771	1415	801	883	615
Sarh	561	715	929		310			200	419	981	541	867	956	768	1361	885	557	699
Doba	500	915	1129		112	200			260	1043	741	810	1079	798	1402	828	777	642
Bongor	240	674	985		234	419	260			945	747	549	1023	537	1241	568	995	381
Faya-Largeau	775	533	489		1084	981	1043		945		635	591	275	555	443	681	678	655
Mongo	510	175	389		848	541	741		747	635		666	637	405	1033	684	443	497
Mao	312	593	904		783	867	810		549	591	666		753	456	816	350	1107	168
Fada	890	556	382		1119	956	1079		1023	275	637	753		669	668	844	559	783
Moussoro	300	332	643		771	768	798		537	555	405	456	669		857	474	846	287
Bardai	1059	907	918		1415	1361	1402		1241	443	1033	816	668	857		912	1111	933
Bol	330	611	922		801	885	828		568	681	684	350	844	474	912		1125	186
Goz Beida	951	540	210		883	577	777		995	678	443	1107	559	846	1111	1125		939
Massakory	144	425	735		615	699	642		381	655	497	168	783	287	933	186	939

Travel Time from Major Towns by Passenger Car (hours)
	N’Djamena	Ati	Abeche	Moundou	Sarh	Doba	Bongor	Mongo
N’Djamena		6:30	10:53	8:02	10:23	8:39	4:58	7:37
Ati	6:30		4:29	14:27	11:12	14:19	11:22	2:58
Abeche	10:53	4:29		18:48	13:39	16:45	15:44	5:25
Moundou	8:02	14:27	18:48		4:59	2:03	3:04	13:13
Sarh	10:23	11:12	13:39	4:59		3:07	6:08	8:22
Doba	8:39	14:19	16:45	2:03	3:07		3:41	11:28
Bongor	4:58	11:22	15:44	3:04	6:08	3:41		12:33
Mongo	7:37	2:58	5:25	13:13	8:22	11:28	12:33

Travel Time from Major Towns by Truck (hours)
	N’Djamena	Ati	Abeche	Moundou	Sarh	Doba	Bongor	Mongo
N’Djamena		12	18	10	18	16	6	10
Ati	12		6	22	30	26	18	4
Abeche	18	6		28	36	32	24	8
Moundou	10	22	28		8	4	4	22
Sarh	18	28	36	8		4	12	28
Doba	16	26	28	4	4		8	26
Bongor	6	22	28	4	12	8		18
Mongo	10	4	8	20	30	26	18

Road Security

Roads are relatively unsafe in Chad. Car and motorbike accidents, thefts, and robberies are common. Typically, unpaved, and unlit road sections experience more accidents and crimes. Most accidents are the result of poor road conditions, speeding, or overloading of vehicles.

The severity of insecurity depends on the location. In the northern and eastern (bordering Sudan) part of Chad, military escorts are mandatory. In these regions, insurgent groups have been known to attempt kidnappings.

Weighbridges

Maximum Authorized Load (PTAC)	Size of Truck
32 Tons	Height: 4 m Width: 2.5 m

Maximum Authorized Load (PTAC)

Size of Truck

32 Tons

Height: 4 m

Width: 2.5 m

In case the PTAC obligations are not followed, penalties can be imposed. The penalty thresholds can be seen in the table below:

Overweight (> 5 tons)	Overweight between 5 and 10 tons	Overweight (> 10 tons)
25,000 CFA/ extra ton	50,000 CFA/ extra ton	75,000 CFA/ extra ton

Axle Load Limits

Axle Load Limits	LCA Country (Chad)	Transit Country #1 (Cameroon)
Truck with 2 Axles	21 tons	21 tons
Truck with 3 Axles	32 tons	27 tons
Semi-trailer with 3 Axles	32 tons	27 tons

Road Class

Classification	Administering Agency	Local Description
National Roads (Asphalt)	Ministry of Public Works	Found in Ndjamena to 5 towns (Abeche, Massakory, Bongor, Koutere, and Sarh)
National Roads (Gravel)	Ministry of Public Works	Found mainly in the southern part of the country between main towns
Regional and Departmental Roads (levelled sand)	Regional Authorities	Typically, regional roads are between towns and are mostly compacted and developed from constant traffic
Rural Roads (grass and sand)	Local Authorities	Roads with little to no infrastructure that are between villages

Surface Conditions

The road network is comprised of asphalt, laterite, gravel, or stabilized sand with levelling occurring during the dry season. During the wet season, interior roads are often cut off by heavy rains and flooding. Throughout this period only paved roads remain passable.

Rain Barriers

Heavy rains during the wet season sometimes warrant government mandated rain barriers. By legal national decree in 2008, the Ministry of Public Works was named the rain barrier declaring authority. Civilian traffic is asked to abide by the rules and regulations of the rain barrier, however special cases can be granted by the Ministry of Public Works in the case of emergency. Passenger car restrictions typically last no longer than 2 hours. Commercial truck restrictions vary depending on a variety of factors (road frequency, condition, and overall security). Therefore, trucks can be stopped for longer periods of time.

In case of violation of the decree, the government can impose the following penalties:

500,000 CFA fine to be paid by the vehicle owner
Revocation of the driver’s license
Participation in the rehabilitation of the road section damaged by the vehicle

Ouadi (drifts)

In Chad, the main constraints of road transport during the rainy season are Ouadis. Essentially, Ouadis are mudslides that can reach up to 3 meters. During times of heavy rains (typically between July and October), Ouadis can make roads completely inaccessible and cause significant damages. Some of the most famous Ouadis include the Moutarare and Amdout located in the East. The table below identifies some of the most notorious Ouadis in Chad.

Location	Name of Ouadi
Bokoro	Bang-Bang
Moussoro	Amsilep 1 and 2
Abeche to Oum Hadjer	Disko
Abeche to Oum Hadjer	Kao
Abeche to Farchana	Chope
Abeche to Farchana	Moura
Farchana to Adre	Farcha