Thirre tunnel opens

TIRANA, May 18 – The Ministry of Transport reported Tuesday that the Thirre tunnel of the Rreshen Kalimash road segment will be open from Friday, May 21. Only the southern gallery of the tunnel will be open to traffic while the northern tunnel will remain closed.
That is good news especially for the Kosovo tourists expected to come to Albania during summer.
The tunnel was closed in October last year after some shaking of a portion.
The repair has been completed and all the installation and warning signs and tools have already been set.
The tunnel has also turned into a political issue with the opposition criticizing the government of corruption and abuse of post.
The 1 billion euro highway link to neighboring Kosovo, including the tunnel, was inaugurated before general elections last year.
Tirana sees the 170-kilometer road segment running through northern Albania’s rugged mountains as an important commercial link not only to Kosovo, but to other Balkan nations and central Europe.
The opening ceremony was held just days ahead of Albania’s parliamentary election this weekend, even though portions of the highway have not been completed.
The road segment included the 5.5-kilometer tunnel built by a joint venture of Turkey’s Enka and San Francisco-based Bechtel International Inc.
The highway runs from the port city of Durres, 35 kilometers west of Tirana, to the Morini border crossing with Kosovo.