Levan-Vlore highway partly opens to traffic

TIRANA, May 9 – The first 16 kilometres of the southern Levan-Vlore highway have opened to traffic. The segment from Novosele to the entry of Vlore was inaugurated last week by Transport Minister Sokol Olldashi. Speaking to reporters, Olldashi said the opening of the first two lanes to traffic would cut travel time for people heading to the coastal city of Vlora.
“I hope that we will be able to open to traffic two lanes during the whole Levan-Vlore axis before the tourist season starts, to continue next October with the opening of four lanes ending this major infrastructural project,” Olldashi told reporters.
The highway, which is part of the North-South road corridor of Albania and the Trans European Corridor VIII, will have 16 out of its 24 kilometers fully reconstructed by the end of April or early next May.
“The works are in their final stage and the opening of the motorway ahead of the tourist season means a favourable tourist season for Vlora and for all those heading to Vlora to arrive comfortably and in a short time in a motorway meeting all European standards,” said Olldashi. The highway, whose reconstruction started three years ago, will initially have only the Novosele-Vlore segment open to traffic.
The project involves the construction of a new 24.2 km road with 4-lanes from Levan to Vlore crossing the River Vjosa valley and along the edge of the Narta Lagoon. The new road is expected to improve capacity, traffic safety and travel times on this major north-south road axis. The project is also important for the economic development of the coastal area. The highway whose cost is estimated at 60 million euros is co-funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).