River Zezë in the town of Fushë-Kruja, which had become a recurring nightmare for local residents anytime the area was flooded during rainy months, has undergone a rehabilitation project, while work to construct a bridge over it has already completed.

Prime Minister Edi Rama today visited Fushë-Kruja, where work to rehabilitate River Zezë is underway to reconstruct the river’s section by building reinforced concrete walls, dredging works and reinforcing embankments.

The Mayor of Fushë-Kruja said that project included rehabilitation of the river’s three main problematic sections that used to trigger massive floods during rainy months. ““We have rehabilitated three most dangerous sections of the river, Arameras, south of Fushë-Kruja town, the bridge that was overflown by flood waters each year and we have opened a gorge at the river’s outlet in north of Fushë-Kruja. By rehabilitating these three sections, we finally put an end to the flood waters from this river and the area was not flooded when 140 millimetre outpours dropped in five hours only just few days ago,” Mayor said.

The 22-meter long and 5-meter high new bridge prevents river from overflowing during the rainy season.

“The bridge’s main problem was a middle pier shaft allowing for no expanded space and blocking the river flow. The old bridge originally featured two light spaces, respectively 7.5 meters wide and 3.75 meters high. The pier shaft in the middle was a serious problem as it blocked solid and wood materials. The new bridge now features a 22-meter wide space and 4.85-meter high,” the project manager explained. He added that the project has ultimately tackled the flood threats to the area. “The local residents and around 100 homes in western part of Kruja are now safe and not threatened by the yearly floods due to River Zezë in Fushë-Kruja,” he said.

The government head demanded that in addition to the ongoing work to reconstruct the bridge and the river, a rehabilitation project should include greening of the river bank, meeting the environmental standards.

“It would be best that the entire area along the river bank rehabilitates, putting ultimately an end to a long-time story of thorny bushes and instead a green belt with planted trees is created along the river bank. It is not just to address the matter aesthetically, but it is also environmentally important. The buildings that violate the river bank should be demolished,” he said.

PM Rama noted that once project completes, it would provide the area’s infrastructure a wholly new dimension.