Levan-Vlore highway ready to open next May

TIRANA, March 21 – The new highway linking the southern city of Fier to the coastal city of Vlora will partly open to traffic starting from next May, ahead of the new tourist season, the Transport Ministry says. 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, Transport Minister Sokol Olldashi said during an inspection visit last weekend.
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’s 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).