Morocco has named its 1,055-km. Tiznit-Dakhla expressway the “Donald J. Trump Highway” in recognition of the US president’s support for Rabat’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, the Moroccan state news agency MAP reported on Saturday.
King Mohammed VI informed US President Donald Trump of the decision in a letter dated July 2, saying relations between Morocco and the United States had become particularly strong and productive during Trump’s two presidential terms.
“Your historic recognition, in 2020, of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara will forever be etched in the memory of Moroccans,” the king wrote.
Mohammed VI said the route was one of Morocco’s most important road projects and described it as the longest road infrastructure in Africa. The expressway connects northern and southern Morocco and forms part of an Atlantic transport corridor linking Europe with West Africa.
The roughly $1 billion route begins in Tiznit and passes through Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Laayoune before reaching Dakhla. Much of the southern section runs through Western Sahara, which Morocco considers part of its southern provinces.
Moroccan authorities say the road will shorten travel times, reduce disruptions caused by flooding and shifting sand, and improve the movement of people and goods between the country’s economic centers and its southern regions.
Trump publicly thanked the Moroccan monarch in a July 26 post on Truth Social.
“Such a Great Honor! I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon!” Trump wrote.
The naming reflects the diplomatic relationship that developed during Trump’s first administration. In December 2020, Washington recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara alongside a US-brokered agreement under which Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
Morocco joined Abraham Accords during first Trump administration
Morocco subsequently became a member of the Abraham Accords framework, expanding diplomatic, economic and security ties with Israel.
Western Sahara has been disputed since Spain withdrew from the territory in 1975. Morocco controls most of the region, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks the establishment of an independent Sahrawi state.
Israel formally recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2023 and reaffirmed that position the following year.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in October 2025 that supported negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal, under which Western Sahara would receive limited self-government while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty.
In his letter to Trump, Mohammed VI presented the expressway as both an infrastructure project and a symbol of the two countries’ strategic partnership, saying it would strengthen Morocco’s position as a commercial link between Europe and Africa.
