transportation

Transportation varies from dirt tracks suitable for camels and donkeys to a coastal highway extending for 1,822 km (1,132 mi) between the Tunisian and Egyptian borders. At the end of 1968, this highway was connected with a north-south road to Sabha; further extensions to Marzuq and Ghat were later completed, as well as a spur to Birak. In 1973, a 350-km (217-mi) road between Nalut and Ghadamis was completed. Roads also connect the Cyrenaica coastal centers with the interior. In all, there were an estimated 24,484 km (15,214 mi) of roads in 2002, of which 6,798 km (4,224 mi) were paved. In 2000, there were 424,100 private cars and 179,400 commercial vehicles registered in the country. Libya's two railway lines were closed down in the mid-1960s. All previous systems have been dismantled, and plans for new construction have shown little progress.