The total value of the 35-year highway concession is €364.7 million—covering design, construction, operation, maintenance, electronic tolling, and resurfacing—with construction alone accounting for €182 million, as noted by the minister.

The project features an 850-meter, two-tube tunnel, a 620-meter bridge over the Mat River and a 223-meter bridge over the Drin River. It also includes five interchanges, 9.5 kilometers of secondary roads, and electronic monitoring and toll systems. Because the roadway crosses soft coastal ground near the Adriatic Sea, builders must perform extra work for drainage, ground stability and other engineering needs.

The minister appreciated that the Milot–Balldren highway is a vital strategic project that links Albania to Montenegro and the broader European TEN-T transport network and the government remains fully committed to its construction as soon as possible. /gj.m/ a.jor./p.s./

Speaking at a press conference today, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Enea Karakaçi assured the public that there are currently no plans to introduce tolls on this road.

“State budget funding ensures the project remains entirely free of charge”, said the minister.

He also said that infrastructure improvements are underway along the Tirana-Durres highway to ease congestion, specifically targeting the Rinas bottleneck.

According to him, the project includes demolishing the existing Rinas overpass, constructing a new four-lane replacement and adding extra lanes to a 2-kilometer segment of the route. /j.p/p.s./

Balluku emphasized that this is one of the construction sites where there has been a better progress of works compared to all the other construction sites in all Albania.

Tirana-Durrës highway expansion is being carried out in phases: Phase I and II focus on widening the initial 5 km of the highway from near the Kamza turnoff to the Rinas overpass to have three lanes plus an emergency lane in each direction.

Despite the fact that the contractual deadline is September 2026, Balluku expressed her belief that the works in the second phase will finish by the end of the current year.

“We hope to finish the works in the second phase 9 months ahead of schedule”, said Balluku.

Balluku also spoke about plans for the urban design, but also for the green spaces along the highway”.

“Meanwhile, there is work underway along the highway, like along all other roads countrywide, for the cleaning up of unauthorized constructions that have not respected even the necessary distances. The green spaces will be an essential element for all national roads”, assured Balluku.

Meanwhile, the work has begun for the third phase of Tirana-Durres highway. Phase III involves a separate project to construct a junction connecting the Laknas road to the highway. /a.f/r.e/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama took to the social media on Wednesday morning to share images of the ongoing construction work on expansion of busiest highway in Albania, also a vital economic corridor, hosting over half of the country’s population and its economic activities.

The government head underlined that saying construction work has advanced with around 50% of the work volume already complete and that the project was running on schedule.

“Images showing the construction site of the second phase of Tirana-Durrës highway expansion project, with the work continuing apace and with 50% of the total volume already complete,” PM Rama wrote.

Work is currently underway on asphalt pavement on the left side of the highway.

The expansion project is designed to refurbish end-of-life road layers and expand the road to handle rising traffic especially during the summer season.

The road will be transformed into Category A highway with speed limit at 130 km/hour.

Tirana-Durres highway rehabilitation is designed to cope with an influx of 94 000 vehicles and it costs 250 million euros.

/u.sh/

Albanian Road Authority said today that the works for widening of Tirana-Durrës highway, within the framework of phase II of the project, have advanced at a satisfactory pace, reaching a physical completion of works by 50%.

Currently, there is an intensive work underway on the construction of asphalt layers on the left side of the road, in Tirana-Durrës direction.

To guarantee the normal working conditions, the vehicle traffic has been diverted near Rinas overpass.

The works are for widening of the road body with two lanes on each side, where one lane will serve for emergencies. The works started last year.

Tirana – Durrës highway is one of the main and most important arteries of the country, connecting the two largest administrative, industrial, cultural and tourist centers of Albania, as well as the North-South and East-West corridors. /a.f/r.e/p.s./

In a post in the social media, Balluku wrote in the capture alongside the photos that, “This is the view that Tirana-Durrës highway will have upon completion of the works for widening the road”.

The minister emphasized that this road will also have European road safety conditions and parameters as well as all other urban, lighting and greenery elements.

The widening of this road, which connects the capital with Durrës and which handles a high number of vehicles throughout the year, foresees the addition of two more lanes, bringing the entire road to Category A parameters.

The addition of 4 lanes allows for the movement of vehicles at speed of up to 130 km and is expected to significantly ease road traffic, especially during the tourist season. /p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama posted today in the social media photos from the works that are being carried out on this road. “This renovated highway will significantly ease the movement of countless vehicles on this road and will give Tirana an even more dignified entrance, while Albania Tourism a new breath of fresh air”.

PM Rama and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku inspected yesterday the works being carried out at the construction site of this road.

Rama suggested that the entrance to the capital should be special in terms of architecture, including more artistic elements.

The prime minister also requested the drafting of a master plan to avoid problems created by internal traffic. /r.e/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku inspected today the works being carried out at the construction site of this road.

Balluku said that this is the first phase of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and widening of Tirana – Durrës highway, about 33 km long, in total.

“The first phase, as well as the other two phases, consist of about 10 km each. The widening of the road consists of 3 lanes on each way, also leaving the emergency lane. The maximum speed is 130 km and meanwhile all safety parameters have been met”, she emphasized.

Rama suggested that the entrance to the capital should be special in terms of architecture, including more artistic elements.

The prime minister also requested the drafting of a master plan to avoid problems created by internal traffic.

Regarding the National Traffic Monitoring Center, Balluku said that work has begun on the general test.

“We have started the general test. The cameras have started to be connected one by one to the system. We did a test a few days ago,” she said.

Balluku informed that, “The first 200 kilometers are very important because they will help us understand how it will function.”/m.m/r.e//a.f/p.s./

Work on the new Elbasan-Librazhd highway, one of the most important sections of the Corridor 8 project, currently focuses on construction of the 1.1-km tunnel road connecting the area between the town of Librazhd and the central Albanian city of Elbasan, a project designed to unlock tourist and economic potential of both areas.

The investment is scheduled to complete by the end of the year, while the project includes construction of two bridges connected with the tunnel.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku – also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy – inspected the ongoing construction work.

“This is one of the most important sections of the Corridor 8 project. Two tunnels with a length of 1.1 km are currently being constructed. The initial design included a 300-m tunnel, but given the extent of the expropriation process, the design was reviewed and an engineering solution was found. The geological formation here is also challenging, making the situation quite complex,” Deputy PM Balluku said.

According to her, with around 52% of the construction work complete and given the current work progress, the tunnel will open by September.

/u.sh/

Two more lanes and one emergency lane will be added as part of an expansion project to transform the existing road linking the capital Tirana to the port city of Durres into a category A highway.

In remarks during the inspection, Balluku underlined that the Tirana-Durres construction project was running on schedule after four months since the launch of work designed to transform the existing road into category A highway.

“Tirana-Durrës motorway will be transformed into Category A highway. The current road is a two-lane category B road. Construction work is progressing very well. Around 25% of the construction volume has already completed,” Balluku said, adding that trees and power lines have been already relocated.

“The highway expansion will handle the traffic especially during the summer season, when the influx of around 106 000 vehicles at the peak of tourist season in August,” Balluku said, adding that construction of a highway section between Kashar and the village of Lekaj will ease traffic of vehicles coming from the country’s north.

The Deputy PM Balluku said that construction of the initial segments of Tirana-Durres highway will complete by end of 2025.

According to her, a fourth 3-m wide emergency lane will be added on both sides and the road will be transformed into Category A highway with speed limit at 130 km/hour.

Tirana-Durres highway rehabilitation is designed to cope with an influx of 94 000 vehicles and it costs 250 million euros.

/j.p/u.sh/