New Tirana big ring road to cut botanic garden

TIRANA, March 15 – Environmentalists and the opposition Socialist Party have strongly opposed a government project on what is known as the big Tirana ring road which will cut 2.5 hectares from the botanic garden, one of the few remaining large green areas in the capital.
According to the opposition Socialist Party, the former Tirana Municipality design project drafted in cooperation with the EBRD did not infringe the botanic garden. However, reacting to claims by the opposition Socialist Party, Transport Minister Sokol Olldashi said the government project was identical to that of the Municipality of Tirana, which is run by the opposition leader Edi Rama, describing speculations as politically motivated.
According to Olldashi, the big ring road project is the same to that foreseen in the 1989 regulatory plan, which is still in force but some changes have become necessary because of the construction of new apartment blocks after the 90s.
Last November, the Territory Adjustment Council of the Republic of Albania (TACRA), headed by Prime Minister Sali Berisha approved the construction of two important road segments part of Tirana big ring road and a hub to the under construction Arbri road linking Albania to Macedonia.
The first segment, that of “Babrru-Bregu i Lumit- Kthesa e Kamzes,” worth 115 million euros, will be a 6.5 km long 8-lane road which will also have special public transport and emergency lanes and space for a possible tram route.
Prime Minister Berisha said the major project gives a very good solution to traffic in Tirana and especially traffic that would be caused by the Arbri road.
The second segment approved as part of the outer ring road was that of “Komuna e Parisit street – the new Tirana- Elbasan road.” This segment which is conceived to be built in several sections will be a six-lane road with three roundabouts, several flyovers and underpasses.