On Tuesday (2 August) the Albanian government opened the international competition for the construction of the Milot-Fier axis, part of the Blue Corridor that connects Albania with Croatia in the north and Greece in the south.
The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Belinda Balluku stated that this segment of 114 kilometres will not be tendered in one but will be divided into three lots Milot-Thumanë, Kashar-Lekaj and Lekaj-Fier.
For the three segments, the competitions will be separate (companies can compete for each of the lots), while the estimated value of the investment is EUR 837 million.
The competition was originally opened in 2020 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku stated that this would be the first highway which will allow a maximum speed of 130 km/h.
“On the highway, the speed will be from 90 to 130 kilometres. The economic benefits are expected to be 2,000 employees, €400 million in benefits, we will have fewer accidents, lower costs for transportation and an increase in tourism as the distances from north to south are shortened. It will have a significant impact on the country’s economy,” said the minister.
“The feasibility study was done two years ago. We opened the tender, and there was a lot of interest from companies, but then the pandemic started, and we had a withdrawal of financiers because the banks withdrew due to uncertainty,” she added.
Segment data
The length of the road is approximately 115 kilometers
– 53 kilometers new road
– 62 existing kilometers will be rehabilitatedSegment by segment
– Milot-Thumane highway, the length of 13.5 kilometers, will cost €44,620,189 and the duration of the works is 30 months.
– Kashar-Lekaj, the length of 26.6 kilometers will cost €474,869,965 and the duration of the works is 42 months.
– Lekaj-Fier, the length of 46 kilometers will cost €317,595,539 and the duration of the works is 33 months.
Balluku also mentioned the Arbri road, saying that within 17 months, the Murriz tunnel will be delivered.
“The Arbri road in November of last year became accessible in part, but some important parts remain to be delivered, such as the Murriz tunnel. This tunnel has put us in front of great difficulty in terms of geology, and we had to revise the project and look at the northern entrance by some 120 meters, causing the contractual term of this part of the Arbri road work to be postponed.”
She added, “Both the main tunnel and the auxiliary tunnel continue at a slow but constant pace, but we believe that within 17 months, the Murriz tunnel will also be delivered. Not a penny has been added to the Arbri road contract from the state budget.”
