Arbri Road, the project to build a road linking the capital to the region of Diber on the Macedonian border, is taking the long-awaited shape. Despite a slowdown in the construction works and delays in material supplies in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, work to construct the road project has resumed intensively in order to avoiding any delay in completing the project and making sure that the new road opens to traffic next year.
Prime Minister Edi Rama inspected the ongoing works to construct the 152-meter high Vasha Bridge, the highest in region, an important part of the road project. The works to construct the bridge are about to complete, while the tunnels No. 5 and 6 have already completed, and work is underway to build the main Murriz tunnel.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, briefing on the work to construct the road’s tunnels and bridges, noted that these are the most difficult part of this major road infrastructure project.
“Right here we are at the tunnels No.5 and 6. Vasha Bridge, the highest in the Balkans, has already completed. The bridge being built at the village Fshat is somehow higher than this one. The bridge includes six arches. The bridge’s length is 316 meters and its construction has almost completed. Workers are putting the finishing touches to the bridge, as well as to these two tunnels. Out of a total of six tunnels, five of them have already completed and more than 54 kilometres of the new road are now passable. The completed section will be paved in May. Although we are halfway of the 44-month contract to complete the project and 22 months have passed since the work to construct the road kicked off, I can say that construction has advanced ahead of the schedule. A very good and laudable job has been done. The project faced minor delays in the weeks of March, since we were forced to stop work in the project’s sites. Then the company took all necessary measures, equipping its employees with face masks, gloves, whereas it is easier to respect the safety distance rule as work takes place in big spaces,” the Infrastructure and Energy Minister Belinda Balluku said.
Work is currently underway to open and build the main Murriz tunnel, about which Minister Balluku, the project contractor and the team of engineers explained that due to the geological formations work goes on in tandem with the construction of a panoramic Bypass road project.
“We are discussing ways to find a different technical solution to the construction of Murriz tunnel, the last and the longest of six tunnels along the entire stretch of the road. The technical solution will be found soon, including construction of a Bypass segment, providing also an exit of the road. However, we are on the right track as we are nearing a solution and this is the most complex part of Arbri Road, which has caused some minor delays in terms of progress of work and it may take some more few time until early winter before the construction of the tunnel completes, because the contract is still halfway,” Balluku said.
The project contractor noted that an efficient solution has been found in order to respect the schedule and deadlines, as well as to allow the surrounding villages gain access and benefit from the infrastructure project. “We have discussed with the Minister to find a solution that will allow villages to benefit from the project. We will build another 9-km road segment to the tunnel’s entrance and nine exits, adapting also to the geological formations.”
The project engineer said that the Bypass segment would ease the area’s infrastructure and would provide a positive impact on the daily lives of the local residents. “The project will definitely help residents in the area and it allows us to complete whole Arbri Road on schedule. It will also provide a good social impact on the area. I am confident we will complete the construction of Arbri Road on schedule. Of course, this is a tough mountainous terrain, but the contractor is working to implement the best possible engineering solutions.”
Minister Balluku said that construction work has progressed at a satisfactory rate, except some delays in providing supplies with the construction materials, which would normalize as the situation is gradually easing.
Arbri Road is one of the most important investments designed to modernize the country’s road infrastructure. The project will significantly shorten the travel distance between Tirana and the north-eastern region of Diber and will have a significant impact on development of the areas it stretches across.
