The government has decided to transform the pedestrian zone on the street Murat Toptani – Tirana’s first and only such zone – into a regular street open to traffic.
Sources told Exit that the Tirana municipality has come to this decision with the intention of preparing the area for the expected Fusha shpk constructions at the National Theater.
This decision is further confirmed by the Tirana municipality announcement of a tender for the “reconstruction of Murat Toptani street,” which will in fact be for the construction work needed to transform the pedestrian zone into an asphalted automobile road. The street will be as wide as the existing pedestrian zone (5 meters) and will have a lane for buses and a lane for all other vehicles.
In order to build the massive planned construction work alongside the pedestrian zone, Fusha shpk needs a road for its transportation vehicles and other construction machinery.
This access will be provided by the law that the Socialist majority passed last week, regarding the National Theater building and the construction of 6 skyscrapers on what is for the larger part public land, the government will grant Fusha shpk. Article 8 of the law says:
the state is responsible for guaranteeing access to the area and passing services that guarantee functional spaces, passageways, public access
However, the Tirana municipality didn’t even wait for the law to pass, rushing to build the road as soon as possible, using taxpayer money, and destroying one of the capital’s most beloved urban areas.
