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North Macedonia to start August construction on highway to Kosovo
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia /Energy & Infrastructure

North Macedonia to start August construction on highway to Kosovo

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • North Macedonia will begin construction of a highway to Kosovo in August, with a four-year completion target.
  • The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing a grant of 30.8 million euros and a loan of 167.6 million euros for the project.
  • The 12-kilometer highway will feature two lanes in each direction and will include five tunnels, nine bridges, and other structures due to the mountainous terrain.

Construction of a highway connecting Skopje, North Macedonia, to Kosovo is slated to begin in August, with a projected completion time of four years. The Public Enterprise for State Roads announced that a consultant and contractor have been selected, and the supervision phase is nearing completion.

We expect the start of construction to be in August this year. The construction period is about four years, according to the agreement. A consultant has been chosen, a contractor has been chosen, and supervision is in the evaluation phase and we expect it to be chosen quickly.

โ€” Koce TrajanovskiDirector of the Public Enterprise for State Roads of North Macedonia announcing the project timeline.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a grant of 30.8 million euros and a loan of 167.6 million euros for the remaining 10.5 kilometers of the Skopje-Blace highway. This funding, sourced from the European Union's Investment Framework for the Western Balkans, finalizes the financial plan for the route from Stenkovec junction to the Kosovo border.

The grant money comes from the European Union's Investment Framework for the Western Balkans. The grant is 30.8 million euros, and the loan is 167.6 million euros. This completes the financial structure for the construction of the Skopje-Blace road, from the Stenkovec junction to the border with Kosovo.

โ€” Koce TrajanovskiExplaining the funding sources for the highway project.

Koce Trajanovski, director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, noted that 1.5 kilometers have already been built, making the total length from Stenkovec to Kosovo 12 kilometers. The highway will have two lanes in each direction, each 3.5 meters wide, with a 2.5-meter-wide shoulder, resulting in a total road width of 27 meters.

The highway will have two lanes in both directions, each 3.5 meters wide, and a 2.5-meter-wide emergency lane. The total width of the road will be 27 meters.

โ€” Koce TrajanovskiDescribing the specifications of the new highway.

Trajanovski highlighted the challenging mountainous terrain, part of the Skopska Crna Gora massif, necessitating significant engineering. The project includes five tunnels with two tubes each (totaling five kilometers), nine bridges (2.5 kilometers), 11 underpasses, four galleries for slope stabilization (one kilometer), and nine retaining walls. A consortium led by Macedonian company Granit will undertake the construction.

Therefore, the project includes five tunnels with two tubes each, a total length of five kilometers, nine bridges with a length of 2.5 kilometers, 11 underpasses, four galleries for slope stabilization with a length of one kilometer, and nine retaining walls, which are also for slope stabilization.

โ€” Koce TrajanovskiDetailing the complex engineering required for the mountainous terrain.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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