Albanian Government Council of Ministers

The work on construction of the 5.9-km Llogara road tunnel, around 20 km south of the coastal city of Vlora, an investment project worth 142 million euros and with a direct impact on the country’s economy, is in full swing.

Prime Minister Edi Rama today visited the southern city of Vlora together with the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, to tour the tunnel and inspect firsthand progress of the construction work to date after completion of the excavation work in the main 5.99-km tunnel for traffic, as well as one escape 6.4-km tube for emergencies.

The main tunnel walls will be covered with concrete slabs and will feature complex drainage, ventilation, fire and smoke suppression systems, lighting system, emergency calls and traffic signs.

The tunnel also features 1.17-m wide sidewalks. The main tube is 7.70 m wide and 4.70 m high, equipped with a ventilation system, as well as underground and surface water drainage system. Some 11 cross passages to the emergency tube are constructed along the main tube for the traffic, 5 for vehicles and 6 for pedestrians.

The new infrastructure work is expected to have a major impact on development of the local economy and tourism in Albania’s south, significantly improving driving experience and quality, as well as shortening the drive time so that local and international visitors can reach their preferred destinations easily.

The project will also provide a new road link, replacing Albania’s notorious Llogara Pass, which features many switchbacks and can be particularly treacherous in winter time.

When it opens to traffic, the journey time between Saranda and Vlora will be reduced by around 40 minutes, while road safety will also be improved.

This project is a long-awaited one, which boosts road safety, cuts the distance to the coast and promotes tourism development.

“It is a very special day for us here at the Llogara tunnel road, as we had previously pledged that the excavation works would complete and the tube would completely open, meaning that we would be seeing light on the other end of the tunnel on the side of Palasa by February, but the construction works have progressed ahead of schedule and our projections. Although we have recently encountered some geological challenges while tunnelling along a 25-m long and 30 m high cavern, work has progressed ahead of schedule. All these issues have been already tackled and the final explosion to completely open the tunnel will take place today.

On the other hand, work is already underway to cover the walls of the main tube with concrete slabs and 680 meters of the tunnel walls have been reinforced by now. We should also consider that the project also features an auxiliary tube and 3.5 km of its entire length have already been opened.

The auxiliary tunnel is connected with the main tube through 11 exits, 5 exits for traffic and six more exits for the pedestrians’ access. Work continues on all these exits and tunnel sections and a part of them have been already completed. In a nutshell, we are well ahead of schedule regarding all construction plans, including the main tube and the auxiliary one.

The height of the man tube is 4.7 m, whereas the width of the entire tunnel road is 7.7 m. The project includes 1.7 m wide sidewalks for all emergency cases as stipulated by the security and safety code,” the Infrastructure and Economy Minister Balluku explained, adding that the project is set to complete and open to traffic by summer 2024.

“We expect the project to complete and open to traffic on August 10, 2024. We don’t want to make promises, because complex infrastructural works always surprise you. It is our goal that the six-km long tunnel and 1.4 auxiliary roads and bridges link to the part of Palase and open to traffic by June 1, 2024. This is the objective of the whole team. I would like to thank all the teams working here for delivering on their word and opening the tunnel ahead of the plan envisaged on the contract. I would also like to appreciate all the supervisors, company Hill already working here for some time now. The project is being implemented by a mix of Turkish and Albanian construction teams under the supervision of a Greek company and they are all doing a great job. It seems like a Balkan force that has come together to open up a tunnel called Long Range and I would also like to thank the Albanian Road Authority teams for being here around the clock to support and oversee construction works,” Balluku said.

On his part, Prime Minister Rama praised the quality construction work to date.

“Excellent construction work in line with best standards and extremely fast. Great job. Well done,” the government head said.

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