TIRANA, Oct. 27 /ATA/ – Road Authority has signed contracts for the construction of a further 9 km of the Kombinat-Ndroq-Plepa road, Tirana district, while funding has also been secured for the final 10 km to the port city of Durrës, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi said on Tuesday.
Speaking during an inspection of the project, Karakaçi said the first 5-km section, extending to Peza, had been completed and handed over to the Albanian Road Authority.
Work on the next 9 km is expected to begin shortly. The remaining 10 km to Durrës have also been funded, with the authority preparing to launch a tender by mid-November, he said.
The aim is to contract the entire route to Durrës, providing an alternative connection to the coastal city and easing traffic, particularly during the tourist season.
Karakaçi said the road would also improve access between agricultural areas and the cities of Tirana and Durrës, while potentially increasing property values along the route.
Road Authority Director Ami Kozeli said the road would be built to C1 standards, with a total width of 12.5 metres. It will feature two 3.75-metre-wide lanes, two paved shoulders measuring 1.5 metres each and two unpaved shoulders of 1 metre each.
The project also includes a new bridge at Beshiri over the Erzen River. The contract for the 179-metre bridge, which will have six spans and run parallel to the existing structure, was signed in July.
Kozeli said work on the bridge had begun after surveying was completed and the construction site cleared. The bridge contract has a 12-month completion period, while the two contracts covering the 9-km road section have a 24-month implementation period.
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