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.

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The Deputy PM Balluku visited the construction site of the railway project to take stock of the work progress on ground.

Balluku noted that the construction work progress on ground is running on schedule, adding that with a modern ballast tamping machine delivered, the ongoing work on construction of the railway linking Tirana with the port city of Durres and the international airport has entered a new phase.

“This is equipment delivered for first time ever to Albania. The machinery is used to tamp the track ballast under railway tracks to make the tracks and roadbed and other construction processes yet to complete along the stretch of the new railway,” Balluku said.

The Deputy PM also said that work has advanced on other details of the railway project, including construction of 10 train stations.

As part of Albania’s sustainable growth strategy, the government is investing in the modernisation of its rail network, a plan that will cut emissions, improve safety and slash journey times. The electric railway will allow increased speeds of up to 120 km/h and the project is being constructed under a loan of 70 million euros provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Albania’s railway network is undergoing its first large-scale overhaul through the EU support under its ‘Connectivity Agenda for the Western Balkans’ and through a EBRD loan agreement.

The railway section in Albania is an extension of the Mediterranean Corridor, a part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The 39-km of the existing railway track between the capital Tirana and the port of Durres will be rehabilitated. Additionally, a new 7.4 km-long rail track connecting Tirana city to the Tirana International Airport will be constructed.

The rehabilitation of the Tirana-Durres railway will allow for safer and faster rail travel. On the reconstructed line, the expected travel time will be 22 minutes, while getting from Tirana to the airport will take 12 minutes at a speed of up to 100 kilometres per hour.

The project also includes construction of 40 kilometres of retaining wall and eight bridges.

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Speaking at a press conference after a two-day cabinet meeting in the city of Lezhe, the government head confirmed that work on construction of the railway between Vore, Tirana, and Hani i Hotit, Shoder, is projected to commence by start of autumn.

“Work is running on schedule on construction of Tirana-Durres railway section and it will most likely complete within this year. We are currently discussing ways to ensure due funding for construction of the 4-km stretch to connect ten more train stations from Kashar area to the centre of Tirana. The process is underway and I am confident that a contract will be signed by early autumn and work will kick off on construction of the railway section connecting Vore and Hani i Hotit,” PM Rama said.

The Premier noted that the government has benefited EU funds for construction of Durrës-Rrogozhine segment and the application is being compiled for funds on construction of further stretch of the railway line to the resort lake town of Pogradec that would complete the Corridor 8 rail route.

The government head also highlighted the need for funds to support construction of the big by-pass road project in Elbasan, taking notice of the fact that work on construction of the Corridor 8 project is progressing fast also thanks to the favorable terrain and its very favorable geology to date.

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