Shkoder-Muriqan axis, an important road segment during the peak tourist season in particular, today provides another successful model of the national programme on reconstruction and maintenance of the country’s infrastructure and roads network. From a totally neglected with poor maintenance and in rapid deterioration just four months ago, the 12-km and two-lane road segment is now a completely transformed reality after undergoing reconstruction. Prime Minister Edi Rama inspected the road following the completion of the reconstruction project worth of EUR 1.5 million.
The Head of the Albanian Road Authority Afrim Qendro said the road now halves the drive time the motorists previously needed to travel the distance between the northwest city of Shkodra and Murriqan.
“It is a 12-km road linking Shkodra and Murriqan that has been undergoing reconstruction under the government’s programme on upgrading, rehabilitation and construction and maintenance of the country’s infrastructure and roads network. The whole road pavement has been rehabilitated. The upgrading project included improvements to the storm drainage system, road safety signs, the replacement of water lines that were abandoned for over 25 years. The road had badly deteriorated. The newly reconstructed road will cut the drive time between Shkoder and Murriqan to 40 or 45 minutes only compared to more than an hour and a half drivers needed to travel along this road just few months ago,” Qendro said.
The Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Artan Shkreli noted in his remarks that road safety was the project’s key word. “The project was scheduled to complete in six months, but works completed in four months only. The newly-upgraded road meets now high safety standards and this is the standard we are seeking to set with the roads maintenance. The roads maintenance was a source for abuse and corruption and no one knew what and how it happened. Great attention has now been placed on the road safety. Unfortunately, a number of serious and fatal accidents have taken place on this road and therefore improving the road signs system and safety standards was an important part of the project,” Shkreli said.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the national programme on upgrading and constructing the national infrastructure is setting highest road maintenance standards.
“For the first time, the national roads maintenance programme lives up to its name as to date it has been a programme of embezzlement. The roads maintenance programme has been totally inexistent. After the reconstruction project, the road maintenance process will be very simple, because the road has been reconstructed up to the highest standards,” the Premier said.
The government head said that the road upgrading and maintenance programme has been welcomed also by the World Bank. “We have had a meeting with representatives of the World Bank, which co-funds a part of the programme, and they welcomed the programme and the way it has been drafted. It is not simply a matter of funding, because abundant funding has been made available during this history of the past 30 years, but what has been totally missing is proper functioning and organization.”
“The truth is – PM Rama went on highlighting – that the roads maintenance programmes in the entire region have been spectacular failures for a long time, whereas this maintenance programme meets the highest standards. The maintenance of Tirana-Durres highway has been a repeating burlesque, with holes just adding more potholes on the road’s surface. Every road now undergoes deep maintenance process.”
On his part, the Director of the Albanian Road Authority Afrim Qendro informed the government head over the progress of other infrastructure upgrading works in the north-western district of Shkodra, saying the construction works are running well on schedule and are about to complete soon.
“Construction of Mergushe-Mjede road has completed. The road has been totally upgraded and the road safety standards have been improved. Work is already underway on rehabilitation of the entire Tamara road and reconstruction of the road segment linking Gurre i Zi with Mjeda is about to complete. We also expect to launch works to construct the road segment linking Mjeda with Fush Arrez in the coming days, thus concluding the largest part of the road upgrading projects in Shkodra district,” Qendro said, adding that rehabilitation of Lezhe-Shengjin road has also completed.
