Repairing costs were up to 30 million euros.
TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, May 25 – The opening this week to a main tunnel in the Durres-Kukes highway is expected to have a very large economic impact on the area it serves, Transport Minister Sokol Olldashi said during a visit at the Kalimash Tunnel.
The tunnel had been closed due to a collapse to its ceiling shortly after it was inaugurated last summer.
Olldashi said that repairing the damage cost 30 million euros. He added the collapse was not due to human error, but a natural disaster.
Minister Olldashi said the use of the tunnel will continue to be free, although there have been some mixed messages
Up to 16,000 vehicles are expected to use the tunnel each day. The tunnel is built according to the latest European standards and is monitored around the clock by 70 CCTV cameras.
The Kalimash Tunnel is 5.5 miles long and the ceiling collapse had made it completely inaccessible, forcing cars to take the tortuous journey through the old mountain highway.
The government hopes the opening just in time for the tourist season will bring much needed income for Albania.
