Tirana-Elbasan highway construction, the never-ending money pit

12/03/2018 21:16

The Tirana-Elbasan highway has turned into a huge money pit for the state budget, repeating a scenario similar to the Durres-Kukes highway.

Last year the government added 35.1 million EUR above the initial price, but the construction works have been interrupted once again because these funds are exhausted and more are needed, as confirmed by sources inside the Ministry of Transportation.

It is not yet sure how much will be needed this time, but it may be another 22 million USD.

The construction of the Tirana-Elbasan highway road started in April 2011 by the Berisha government. The first bid was about 290 million USD in total, and the road was supposed to be completed by 2014.

However, the project had problems and the cost increased during the construction. It even led to the arrest of the former Road Authority Director, Dashamir Xhika.

The total cost of the road so far has been 370 million USD, but this is not final yet. With the new addition, it will go 400 million USD, or 40% more than the initial price.

This scenario is similar to the Durres Kukes, with costs out of control. The difference is that the Tirana-Elbasan road should have been finished by 2014. However, it never ends.

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