The Trans-Gambia Highway is the most important road in The Gambia

The Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

, running across the centre of the nation in a north-south direction. The road is also economically important for Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

, in which it is designated as the N4 road.

The Gambia is an elongated state forming an country that is mostly situated in Senegal (but not an enclave, as it also borders the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

). The Gambia almost separates the Casamance

Casamance

Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance and Haute Casamance...

 region from the remainder of Senegal. The Trans-Gambia Highway provides the most important connection between the two parts of Senegal. As the N4, it runs from Kaolack

Kaolack

Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...

 and Nioro

Nioro du Rip

Nioro du Rip is a city in the south-west of Sénégal, situated about to the south-west of Kaolack and is from the border with The Gambia.-History:...

, across Gambia and then into Bignona

Bignona

Bignona is a town located in the Ziguinchor Region of Senegal. It briefly appears in the movie Binta and the Great Idea.-Notable people:*Landing Savané, politician*Ibrahima Sonko, footballer*Lamine Diarra, footballer*Séni Camara, sculptor...

 and Ziguinchor

Ziguinchor

Ziguinchor is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of over 230,000...

 in the Casamance. The actual Gambian section is only 25 km long. It runs through Farafenni

Farafenni

Farafenni is a town in The Gambia, lying on the Trans-Gambia Highway in the North Bank Division, just south of the border with Senegal. It is an important market town....

 and Soma

Soma, Gambia

Soma is a town in Gambia, lying south of the River Gambia. It is an important crossroads, where the main east-west road in the country crosses the Trans-Gambia Highway....

 but the 800 metre width of the Gambia River

Gambia River

The Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul...

 can only be crossed by a connecting ferry.

With establishment of the Gambia River Development Organization in 1978, plans for a bridge were developed. Despite being repeatedly raised, these plans have not come to fruition.

In August 2005, the Gambia River Authority doubled the prices for the ferry crossing. In response, the Government of Senegal

Politics of Senegal

Politics in Senegal takes place within the framework of a semi-presidential, democratic republic. The President of Senegal is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Senegal the head of government. However, executive power in Senegal is concentrated in the president's hands...

 closed the border crossings

Border control

Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...

. The prices were reduced at the beginning of October, but Senegal felt the issue was unresolved and threatened that they would construct a tunnel under Gambia, with the claimed support of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

President of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh

Yahya Jammeh

Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...

 and President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade

Abdoulaye Wade

Abdoulaye Wade is the third and current President of Senegal, in office since 2000. He is also the Secretary-General of the Senegalese Democratic Party and has led the party since it was founded in 1974...

met on 21 October 2005 and reached an agreement over the fare and a basis for its future calculation. The bridge construction project was again placed into the foreground.