Work is full steam ahead on construction of the road linking the central Albanian city of Elbasan with Qafë Thanë, a mountain pass on the shores of Lake Ohrid and close to the border with North Macedonia, part of the Corridor VIII, one of the most promising infrastructural projects with an incredible impact on development of tourism in the country’s south-eastern areas, also connecting Albania with North Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria.
The Elbasan- Qafë Thanë road, together with the highway between the coastal city of Durres, Prishtina and Nish in Serbia, will ultimately provide the new Durres commercial seaport the long-awaited strategic role as a key node in the transport corridor between the East and the West.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, inspected progress of the work on construction of the road which starts in the village of Labinot Fushe, Elbasan, and stretches for 44 kilometres up to the border crossing point of Qafë Thanë.
“This is the first section of the Elbasan- Qafë Thanë road. The project has been divided into eight sections, with construction works taking place on the first two sections currently. Work is scheduled to begin on construction of two more sections in 2024 and the last two ones in 2025, given that due funding has to be allocated. The road is an important part of the Corridor VIII and it starts in the village of Labinot Fushë and stretches for 44 kilometres, a segment that, as you can see for yourself, meets all the standards of a modern highway, road safety standards, and it ends near Qafë Thanë border crossing point,” the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy explained.
The road project will be built over a new trail along the Shkumbin River bank and it will also provide an ultimate solution to the problems caused due to the lack of investment projects to rehabilitate the river’s bed. This project will also have direct impact on local economy, helping in improving living conditions for local residents in the surrounding areas, which will be provided access to the administrative centres and national roads. The scenic route will reveal the area’s panoramic landscape.
Around 42% of the construction works have almost completed with 95% of the road’s works of engineering arts, the river embankment system already in place.