TIRANA, April 8 – Increased traffic volumes, insufficient maintenance expenditures and capacity limitations, has increased the rate of deterioration of the network and costs to road users, says the World Bank in a report on Albania’s road network after awarding Euro 65.9 million in a loan on a road maintenance and safety project.
The report unveils Albania’s expenditure on road maintenance is the smallest in the region and that road safety remains a major social and public health issue in the country.
Albania spent an average of 2,914 Euros/km on the national road network in 2012, which is insufficient and low compared to other countries in the region. Meanwhile, annual fatalities of 84.6 per 100,000 vehicles in 2012 compares unfavorably with comparator countries in the region (Montenegro 41.3, Greece 13.8, Serbia 32.9) and more than ten times higher than some western European countries, says the report.
Within the transport sector, the primary emphasis has been on developing the national network, but these investments have not been adequately maintained, notes the report.
The management, financing and development of Albania’s road network, a key asset in support of growth and job creation, currently faces three key challenges including prioritization of new investments in line with macro and fiscal realities, clearance of arrears on a large number of contracts and the improvement of asset management and maintenance, says the report.
At transition to democracy, the demand for private vehicles in Albania increased markedly, with the number of vehicles per 1,000 population, increasing from about 25 in 1989 to 118 in 2013.
The overall length of the road network in Albania totals about 15,000 km, of which 3,400 km of national roads and 4,411 km of local road network.
Current road sector priorities, within the draft National Strategy for Development and Integration (NSDI) 2014-2020, include a strong focus on construction, rehabilitation and management of the national road network. The NSDI identifies sustained growth through efficient use of resources and improving infrastructure links in the regions as strategic priorities, and aims to improve maintenance and safety of the road assets in line with EU standards and directives for implementing comprehensive road safety measures.
Under the World Bank project, private-sector contractors will provide periodic and routine maintenance functions under five-year contracts, and this results based approach is consistent with the government’s ongoing strategy to concession the operation and maintenance of a number of highways.
