PRISTINA (Kosovo), September 6 (SeeNews) – The construction of the 60-km long motorway linking Pristina to the border with Macedonia is expected to be completed by the end of 2018, Kosovo's prime minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Thursday.
The Arben Xhaferi motorway is evidence of our commitment to regional integration, which paves the way for the Western Balkan aspirations to join the European family, Haradinaj said in a press release, following an inspection of construction works.
Kosovo started building the motorway worth around 600 million euro ($696 million) in 2014 after signing a contract with U.S.-based engineering and construction major Bechtel and its Turkish joint-venture partner Enka. The motorway, Kosovo's second, comprises eight bridges, six intersections, 29 overpasses and 17 underpasses.
Kosovo’s first motorway, which runs from Morina, on the border with Albania, to the north of Pristina, was built by the Bechtel-Enka team and delivered a year ahead of schedule in November 2013.
The Bechtel-Enka team has successfully delivered a number of major infrastructure projects in the region, including motorways in Albania, Croatia, and Turkey. The two companies have completed more than 28,000 kilometers of highways and roads, 100 tunnels totaling some 350 kilometers in length, and 25 major bridge projects.
($=0.86178 euro)