Tirana-Elbasan highway ready by May 2013, PM says

TIRANA, April 24 – By May 2013, just before the next general elections, Tirana will be linked to Elbasan under a new highway including a 11.7 km tunnel which will considerably cut distance to the central Albania city. Inaugurating the start of works for the highway’s two remaining segments, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said this week the highway would have a major impact in Albania’s infrastructure and development.
He also announced the start of works for the Qukes-Qefe Plloce segment linking Elbasan to the southeastern town of Korca.
“In the coming weeks we will inaugurate the start of works in all segments, cutting time for Korca and whole southeastern Albania to reach Tirana by 70 percent,” said Berisha.
Kuwait’s Copri Construction and Greece’s Aktor have joined to complete the Tirana-Elbasan highway under a USD 170 mln deal. Overwhelmingly funded by Arab financial institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank, the Saudi Fund for Development, and the OPEC Fund for International Development, the road will considerably cut distance between capital Tirana and Elbasan, the third most populated region of Albania, and a hub to the southeastern Albania.
The first part of the new contract, worth USD 84 mln, includes a 13 km segment from suburban Sauk to Krraba at the entry of already under construction tunnel. The remaining part, worth USD 85 mln, includes the 11.7 Krraba tunnel-Elbasan segment.
The highway’s most difficult part, a double-bore tunnel, is already being built by Greece’s Aktor which in May 2011 officially started works to build a double-bore 2.3 km tunnel as part of a new highway linking Tirana to Elbasan.
The highway, which is expected to cut the distance to Elbasan from the current 48 kilometres to only 31 kilometres, will have four lanes and two tunnels, 2.3 and 2.1 km long each–saving passengers to Elbasan 40 minutes in travel time. It is considered the biggest infrastructural project of the Democratic Party-led government second consecutive term, after the Durres-Kukes-Morine highway linking Albania to Kosovo, which was fully completed in October 2010. The Finance Ministry said the highway’s cost has dropped from an initial estimated USD 407 mln to USD 290 mln.