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ANALYSIS: Roads remaining roads

2024-11-02 08:46:53Politikë SHKRUAR NGA GJERGJ EREBARA
ANALYSIS: Roads remaining roads
The remaining roads roads

As is often the case in a pre-election year, several road construction sites have opened with fanfare in recent weeks as the government has engaged in a campaign advertising roads and bridges under construction. But the data of the State Budget, published on the official website of the parliament, suggest that most of the funds required for these launched projects are left to be financed "after 2027", which means that Albanians will have to wait for many, many years before they see really finished works.

The list of Public Investment Projects, a document that is published every year together with the draft budget for the following year, shows that currently the road sector has implemented or conceived general investments worth 157 billion ALL financed from internal sources and 78 billion lek with financing from foreign sources, which are loans or gifts from the European Union. But 38 billion of the planned investments with domestic sources and 45 billion with foreign sources have been left "after 2027", which means that Albanians will have to endure for many, many years traffic and pollution caused by from traffic, as well as from works.

Ring of Tirana

A high number of public officials, including the Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku, published during the last weeks propaganda videos about a bridge that is being built over the Tirana River and that is part of the Ring of Tirana. Works on the Ring of Tirana started in 2010. Fifteen years later, more than half is still not finished. And, according to budget planning, one third of all projects currently under construction are left to be completed after 2027. Tirana's ring road is a total of 27 kilometers long.

The segments currently under construction have been divided into 14 contracts or contract extensions for a total planned cost of 23.7 billion ALL. This does not include previously built segments. By the end of this year, 14 billion ALL of works have been completed or are planned to be completed, while for the years 2025-2027 it is planned that only 1 billion ALL will be spent in this segment. Albania's draft budget relies on three-year planning of public investments, so projects left for after this period are simply described as "to be paid after 2027". And regarding the Ring of Tirana, the amount left to be financed in 2028 and beyond is 7.9 billion ALL or 33% of the entire cost of the segments currently under construction.

According to the forecast, Lot 3 of the Ring, which includes the segment from the Palace of Arrows to the former Eagle, is not expected to be completed even in 2027, since for 2028 and the following years, 148 million lek have been left to be paid out of the total cost of 4.7 billion ALL. Lot 4, which includes the extension from the new bridge over Lana to the Kinostudio area, is expected to continue after 2028 despite the fact that it has so far produced a high number of promotional videos distributed by Rama or Balluku. The government has determined 722 million ALL or 30% of the entire cost of the segment to be paid "after 2027".

Lots 6 and 7 seem like they will never be finished as for these, 55 and 61% of the funding respectively are left for "after 2027".

Tirana-Durres

The expansion of the Tirana-Durres highway with an additional lane on each side is another project that started with fanfare but, if you look at the financing plan, it will take many, many years of patience before it becomes a reality. According to the draft budget, this investment will cost 12.5 billion ALL, but only the first and second phases, which start from Tirana, are expected to be completed, if there are no delays, in 2027, while the third, fourth and fifth, will start in 2027 to end at an unspecified time sometime "after 2027".

The other segment, Kombinat – Ndroq – Plepa, is also promised to be expanded and reconstructed. This segment, built during the fascist occupation, has undergone little change over the decades and is understandably in a very degraded state. Taxpayers have been asked to spend 4.8 billion ALL for the reconstruction of this segment, but the financing plan foresees that 2.3 billion ALL will be used "after 2027", so the road practically remains to be enjoyed sometime in the fifth or sixth term.

Corridor 8

The segment from the exit of the city of Elbasan to Qafë Thane has already started to be built. The total estimated cost of the project is currently 22 billion ALL. Of these, 9 billion lek remain "to be paid after 2027". The government plans to build a new segment from Elbasan to Lekaj i Kavaja at a cost of 18 billion ALL. This segment is scheduled to be completed in 2027, if there are no delays.

Long-term perspective on By-Passes

The city of Elbasan has currently become perhaps the busiest road transport point in Albania because the city has only one ring but no by-pass. The project for a by-pass has been conceived, but the work on it is expected to continue beyond 2028. Specifically, according to the document of the Ministry of Finance on public investments, a foreign financier has not yet been found for this segment, while the overall planned cost is 22.3 billion ALL. The document stipulates that 21.4 billion ALL or 96% of the project is "carried value after 2027".

Similarly, the 'by-pass' of Tirana, which should connect the northern highway and the Tirana-Durra highway with the Elbasan highway, is planned to cost 24 billion ALL. Financing has been agreed with WBIF/IBRD but 96% of the expenses are "carried value after 2027".

The government currently has no plans to build a wider road in the direction of Shkodra, while the Qukës - Qafë Pllocë road, which began to be built in 2015, according to the financing plan, will not be completed before 2028./ Son


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