Govt secures financing for Tirana-Elbasan highway

TIRANA, August 2 – Government says it in its final phase of borrowing 300 million euros to finance the construction of the Tirana-Elbasan highway and the Fier by-pass.
“We are in the process of concluding the investment package on these projects and I think that by next year we will make concrete steps on their implementation,” said deputy Transport Minister Edmond Haxhinasto.
Government says it will borrow from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to finance the Tirana-Elbasan highway, a hub to southern Albania and one of the main segments of the Corridor 8 project. The project is expected to cost 250 million euros.
The new modern highway will cut the travel distance between capital Tirana and the city of Elbasan to 31 kilometers from 48 currently, saving passengers to the central city 40 minutes.
The highway, considered the first segment of southern road axis, will have four lanes and two tunnels, 2.3 and 2.1 km long each, seven overpasses and four underpasses through a mountainous route, according to the Transport Ministry. It is considered the biggest infrastructural project government intends to build in this four-year term after the Durres-Kukes-Morine highway linking Albania to Kosovo it built in the previous mandate. The highway, designed to follow the shortest possible trajectory, will have a maximum speed of 110 km/h, taking passengers only 15 to 20 minutes to arrive in Elbasan.