Albania-Kosovo Highway
Encyclopedia
The Albania-Kosovo Highway (also known as the Durres-Kukes Corridor in Albania
, Vermice-Merdare Corridor and Ibrahim Rugova Highway in Kosovo
, and Rruga e Kombit (Nation's Highway) in general) is a 4-lane highway being built between Albania
and Kosovo
. The highway starts at the port city of Durres
in Albania and is planned to end at Merdare border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia
. Eventually, once the Kosovan part of the project is finalized, the highway will link the Adriatic Sea
port of Durres
in Albania with the Pan-European corridor X.
. Its initial cost was estimated at €600m but during the course of construction this has more than doubled.
The highway begins at the Albanian port of Durrës and ends at the border town of Morine, located on the Albanian side of the Albania and Kosovo
border. The designated route corridor of the highway covers Durrës, Rreshen, Reps, Thirra, Kalimash, Kukes and Morine. It is 170 km (105.6 mi) long and consists of two lanes on each side. The corridor passes in order along the existing SH2, SH52, SH1, SH30, A1, SH30, and SH5 routes in Albania. Since 2007, some exisitng segments are undergoing reconstruction. The highway is expected to reduce the travel time from the current six hours to two, with an estimated speed of 80–110 km/h.
A part of the highway, the segment between Rreshen (north-central Albania) and Kalimash (north-eastern Albania) was inaugurated on 26 June 2009 and numbered as A1
. The project is scheduled to be completed by July 2010.
announced the construction of the Kosovan part of the project. Known as the Morine-Merdare motorway, the road will run from Morine (Albania border) to the capital of Kosovo, Pristina
. After completion, Kosovo will have simpler access to the Adriatic Sea through Durrës.
The project is being financed by the governments of Albania, Kosovo, and some foreign lending institutions. The total cost of the highway is estimated to be over €1bn ($1.4bn).
industry in Albania
. As most tourists to Albania come through Kosovo or Macedonia, the laying of the highway will make it much easier to travel to the Durrës
port and the Adriatic Sea
.
The most challenging part of the project was the road segment between Rreshen and Kalimash, which is around 61 km long. The segment is divided into three sections - a 19 km stretch from Rreshen to Reps, 27 km from Reps to Thirra and 15 km between Thirra and Kolshi. One tunnel and 27 bridges have been constructed through the steep and mountainous terrain. There are 17 bridges in the area from Reps to Thirra. Constructed by a joint venture of Bechtel
-Enka, the cost of this part of the road increased tremendously by hundreds of millions of dollars. The use of a hydro-powered electricity grid instead of diesel generators has helped in reducing the carbon footprint of the project. As a result, CO2 emissions have dropped by 613000 lb (278,052.1 kg) each month.
It is believed that construction work on the remaining segments in Albania (Fushe Kruje-Milot, and Kalimash-Morine) will be finished in 2011. The bridges along the latter segment will be upgraded in the near future while uncontrolled entry and exit points are becoming a major safety issue along the above unfinished road axes.
Another challenge was the transportation of construction equipment and material. As about 3,800 people worked on the project, there was the additional responsibility of feeding, clothing and housing them.
The highway passes through a 5.5 km-long double-bore tunnel across Mt Runes, which was designed by Egis Route of France. Construction works on the tunnel began in May 2007 and were completed with one tunnel tube inaugurated in June 2009. The south-bound tunnel is scheduled to be completed in July 2010.
All four faces of the two tubes of the tunnel have been worked on simultaneously. During tunnel construction, the tunnelling team encountered five classes of rock.
A partial collapse occurred at a 50m section in the central-south bore of the tunnel in November 2009. No injuries or equipment damages were reported. The collapse occurred because of heavy overbreak (during excavation) at a geologically complex area inside the tunnel and has delayed the completion of the south-bound tunnel. Only the north-bound tunnel was opened as per schedule in June 2009. One year later the south-bound tunnel was opened as well.
Corridor. It is 118 km long at a cost of 700 million euro/ $937 million. This highway will set the travel time from Pristina
to Tirana
to 3 hours. Once the Pristina-Merdare section's project will be finalized, the motorway will link Kosovo, with the Pan-European corridor X.
of 1999, hundreds of thousands of Albanians have passed through the poor old mountain road to get to Albania's beaches. Building a highway would "crystallize a year-round tourism industry and double the size of the Albanian market", while allowing both communities to rationalize agriculture. Travel times are expected to be lowered to two and a half hours or less, down from seven.
Once finalized, the project will link the Adriatic Sea
with the Pan-European corridor X at the E80 near the town of Merdar between the contested Kosovo-Serbia border.
US Congressman Eliot Engel has compared Sali Berisha
's vision to build this highway to that of Eisenhower
to build highways across the United States.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Vermice-Merdare Corridor and Ibrahim Rugova Highway in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, and Rruga e Kombit (Nation's Highway) in general) is a 4-lane highway being built between Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. The highway starts at the port city of Durres
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
in Albania and is planned to end at Merdare border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Eventually, once the Kosovan part of the project is finalized, the highway will link the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
port of Durres
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
in Albania with the Pan-European corridor X.
Albanian part of the Highway
The four lane highway project is the biggest road infrastructure work ever done in the history of AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Its initial cost was estimated at €600m but during the course of construction this has more than doubled.
The highway begins at the Albanian port of Durrës and ends at the border town of Morine, located on the Albanian side of the Albania and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
border. The designated route corridor of the highway covers Durrës, Rreshen, Reps, Thirra, Kalimash, Kukes and Morine. It is 170 km (105.6 mi) long and consists of two lanes on each side. The corridor passes in order along the existing SH2, SH52, SH1, SH30, A1, SH30, and SH5 routes in Albania. Since 2007, some exisitng segments are undergoing reconstruction. The highway is expected to reduce the travel time from the current six hours to two, with an estimated speed of 80–110 km/h.
A part of the highway, the segment between Rreshen (north-central Albania) and Kalimash (north-eastern Albania) was inaugurated on 26 June 2009 and numbered as A1
A1 motorway (Albania)
The A1 motorway refers to the segment between the towns of Rrëshen and Kalimash in Northern Albania. It is part of the greater Albania-Kosovo Highway stretching in Albania, from the Adriatic port city of Durrës to the border town of Kukës with Kosovo. The preceding and following segments are...
. The project is scheduled to be completed by July 2010.
Project funding
In February 2010, the Government of Republic of KosovoRepublic of Kosovo
Kosovo , officially the Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state and a disputed territory in the Balkans...
announced the construction of the Kosovan part of the project. Known as the Morine-Merdare motorway, the road will run from Morine (Albania border) to the capital of Kosovo, Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
. After completion, Kosovo will have simpler access to the Adriatic Sea through Durrës.
The project is being financed by the governments of Albania, Kosovo, and some foreign lending institutions. The total cost of the highway is estimated to be over €1bn ($1.4bn).
Construction
The highway is expected to boost the tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. As most tourists to Albania come through Kosovo or Macedonia, the laying of the highway will make it much easier to travel to the Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
port and the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
.
The most challenging part of the project was the road segment between Rreshen and Kalimash, which is around 61 km long. The segment is divided into three sections - a 19 km stretch from Rreshen to Reps, 27 km from Reps to Thirra and 15 km between Thirra and Kolshi. One tunnel and 27 bridges have been constructed through the steep and mountainous terrain. There are 17 bridges in the area from Reps to Thirra. Constructed by a joint venture of Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
-Enka, the cost of this part of the road increased tremendously by hundreds of millions of dollars. The use of a hydro-powered electricity grid instead of diesel generators has helped in reducing the carbon footprint of the project. As a result, CO2 emissions have dropped by 613000 lb (278,052.1 kg) each month.
It is believed that construction work on the remaining segments in Albania (Fushe Kruje-Milot, and Kalimash-Morine) will be finished in 2011. The bridges along the latter segment will be upgraded in the near future while uncontrolled entry and exit points are becoming a major safety issue along the above unfinished road axes.
Tunnelling
The Rreshen - Kalimash segment's third section of road between Thirra and Kolshi included Mt. Runes at an elevation of 1,858m. Laying road on Mt. Runes proved to be a challenge for the engineers. It was decided that the best way of navigating through the mountain was to construct a tunnel through it.Another challenge was the transportation of construction equipment and material. As about 3,800 people worked on the project, there was the additional responsibility of feeding, clothing and housing them.
The highway passes through a 5.5 km-long double-bore tunnel across Mt Runes, which was designed by Egis Route of France. Construction works on the tunnel began in May 2007 and were completed with one tunnel tube inaugurated in June 2009. The south-bound tunnel is scheduled to be completed in July 2010.
All four faces of the two tubes of the tunnel have been worked on simultaneously. During tunnel construction, the tunnelling team encountered five classes of rock.
A partial collapse occurred at a 50m section in the central-south bore of the tunnel in November 2009. No injuries or equipment damages were reported. The collapse occurred because of heavy overbreak (during excavation) at a geologically complex area inside the tunnel and has delayed the completion of the south-bound tunnel. Only the north-bound tunnel was opened as per schedule in June 2009. One year later the south-bound tunnel was opened as well.
Contractors
The contract for the construction of road segment between Rreshen and Kalimash, which constitutes more than one-third of the whole project, was awarded to a joint venture of Bechtel, a US-based engineering company, and Enka, a Turkey-based construction company. The contract was awarded in September 2006 and a majority of the construction works were completed in June 2009. Other contractors include local firms as well. The other part of the motorway in Kosovo is being constructed by Bechtel-Enka.Kosovo part of the Highway
The building of the Kosovo side of the highway started in April 2010 with the Vërmicë-MerdareMerdare
Merdare is a village in the municipality of Kuršumlija, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 139 people. Merdare will be the end point of the Kosovan part of the Albania-Kosovo Highway that will further continue into Serbia at the E80....
Corridor. It is 118 km long at a cost of 700 million euro/ $937 million. This highway will set the travel time from Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
to Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
to 3 hours. Once the Pristina-Merdare section's project will be finalized, the motorway will link Kosovo, with the Pan-European corridor X.
Impact
Since the end of the Kosovo WarKosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
of 1999, hundreds of thousands of Albanians have passed through the poor old mountain road to get to Albania's beaches. Building a highway would "crystallize a year-round tourism industry and double the size of the Albanian market", while allowing both communities to rationalize agriculture. Travel times are expected to be lowered to two and a half hours or less, down from seven.
Once finalized, the project will link the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
with the Pan-European corridor X at the E80 near the town of Merdar between the contested Kosovo-Serbia border.
US Congressman Eliot Engel has compared Sali Berisha
Sali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
's vision to build this highway to that of Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
to build highways across the United States.