On the Elbasan-Qafë Thane road axis, part of Corridor VIII, works have been extended to the first four lots. On lots three and four, work started at the end of last year and is progressing well.

In lot three, where the works were inspected by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, together with the Director of the Albanian Road Service, Evis Berberi, work is being carried out on several fronts to speed up the works.

“The section is in hilly terrain. The geology has been good so far. In this section, some parallel works are being carried out in addition to the excavation and backfilling, work is being carried out on the retaining walls, while we are working in collaboration with OSSH to move the tension poles to open the working throne,” said Berberi, clarifying that the three works in the lot started in mid-December and in these few days 5.5% of them have been realized. Meanwhile, in the second lot, the progress of the works has reached 25%, because the works started even earlier.

Deputy Prime Minister Balluku emphasized the importance of Corridor VIII, not only for Albania but also for the region, as it will significantly facilitate the circulation of vehicles while reducing costs for citizens.

“It definitely gives us the opportunity to reach our destination faster, considering that Corridor VIII will also be enriched with the new works, from Elbasan to Lekaj, or to put it another way, to the Rrogozhina roundabout, where it will intersect with the Blue Corridor, so with the Adriatic-Ionian, and normally what is important and what must be said is that we have the opportunity to have a complete network that will be at the service of the Port of Durres and the dry port that we built in Struga”, said Balluku.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy also made a stop at the Elbasan bypass, another important project that will connect several road axes, avoiding the passage through the city, but at the same time influencing the surrounding areas.

“The bypass of Elbasan will be a new engine of economic development for the area of Elbasan, Tirana, and all the surrounding centers such as Cërriku, Peqini, Librazhdi, so by concluding this also, by concluding with the funding that you (ARRSH) have received duty to immediately start the negotiations, I believe that Corridor VIII will be completed, then we will definitely continue with the joint design in terms of the tunnel, but it is important that here all the segments move as they should. The Albanian government has made it possible to finance all the segments, and the most important thing is that the geology is good,” emphasized Balluku.

The first two lots of the Elbasan-Qafë Thane axis are along the Shkumbin riverbed, while lots three and four continue along the hills in the area of Murras and Librazhdi. Lot three is 2.36 kilometers long, while lot four is 1.86 kilometers long.