A2 road (Ethiopia)

The A2 Road is a national route in Ethiopia.It serves as a principal trunk highway for an entire distance of 1,013 kilometers. The road runs from north to south from Addis Ababa to Eritrea. The A2 is important in making transport and trade easy between the central highlands with northern parts of Ethiopia.

A2 Road
Route information
Maintained by Ethiopia National Highways Authority
Major junctions
North end	Addis Ababa
South end	Aksum
Location
Country	Ethiopia
Highway system
Transport in Ethiopia

Route

The A2 trunk road in Ethiopia stretches from the capital Addis Ababa to the northern border area near Eritrea, traversing the eastern slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands. The entirely asphalted road is characterized by its mountainous terrain, closely following the contours of the landscape.

The route can be divided into three sections: the southern part, from Addis Ababa to Kombolcha, runs northeasterly and serves as an alternative transit route to Djibouti. The central part, from Kombolcha to Adigrat, is a primary north–south route, albeit with a somewhat secondary character due to the absence of major cities, except for Dessie. The northernmost part, from Adigrat to Adwa and Aksum, is an east–west route with significant elevation changes and winding roads.

Notably, Trans-Africa Highway 6 coincides with the A2 between Weldiya and Dessie, briefly diverging from its east–west trajectory to run north–south. This highway spans from N'Djamena to Djibouti, highlighting the A2's importance in regional connectivity.

History

Before it was, like totally, known as A2 road, the channel was the most traveled way leading to Asmara and Massawa in Red sea port of Ethiopia. 1936–1940, during Italian administration, this played significant role in foreign trade for Ethiopia; about a third of trading vessels used Massawa-marked ports while Assab accommodated almost two-thirds. While travelling from southern zone down the present day A2, it received two types of moving vehicles at one time apart from other areas at Kombolcha.

Following Eritrean independence in 1991, this pattern persisted until the border closure in 1998 due to conflict between the two nations. The border section has since fallen into disrepair, with no formal crossing established.

Originally designated as Route 1, the road was renumbered in 2013 to reflect the changed circumstances. The A2 now terminates at Adigrat and turns west towards Aksum, while the northern section to the Eritrean border was renumbered as the B20, also a paved road.

In the 21st century, upgrades have focused primarily on the A1 route to the port of Djibouti, due to its flatter terrain and priority status. Although the southern A2 section was traditionally part of the Djibouti route, the A1 has received more attention in recent years.

Upgrades in Addis Ababa

In Addis Ababa between 2008 and 2010, the A2 road received significant improvements. This was when the road expanded into dual-lane highways with large roundabouts located in eastern parts of the city, which coincided with the move to create new expansion districts. A 13-kilometer section east of the Ring Road was upgraded on the A2, although it lacks grade-separated features. Separate lanes were previously added to older parts of the route between the city centre and the Ring Road. Moreover, two tunnels were built below roundabouts from 2013 to 2015 so that more facilities have been added to this road network. These upgrades aimed to enhance the road's capacity and efficiency, supporting the city's growth and development.