Rehabilitation of the so-called “Trans-Balkan road” has started

Vlora, Sept. 25 – The rehabilitation of a road considered an important connection point for trade and commerce from Albania and countries of the former communist bloc traveled to and from Vlora’s port will start soon, according to government authorities. Over the past 20 years, the road has been maintained relatively well and has undergone partial reconstruction. Now, however, it will become a brand-new, six-lane highway, surrounded by greenery. The new road will give entrepreneurs greater access to the port, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said. He also said authorities would invest more in port access. “This road has an extraordinary importance,” Berisha added. “With this investment we hope that Vlora and the whole region around the city will be developed fast.” The state has earmarked 5.7m euros for the project, which will be implemented by three Albanian companies נincluding two based in Vlora. The project is seen as one of Vlora’s most important investments over the past several years. The city, located near the Adriatic Sea, has been working to improve its infrastructure and tourism industry, and has become an important holiday destination. Vlora is also a site of the AMBO pipeline project, which will bring Caspian Sea oil to the West by linking the Black Sea and the Adriatic. The project was launched in 1994. AMBO, a US-based firm, plans to build a 913km oil pipeline connecting Vlora to the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Bourgas. The pipeline will pass through Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria. It is intended to transport oil from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Western Europe and will have a capacity of 750,000 barrels per day.