Olldashi, toll roads in Albania

The Minister of Transports, Sokol Olldashi gave an interview for Top-Channel, saying that the government aims to extend toll roads in other important axes.

“The tendency of the roads, especially in Europe, is towards the ones that are maintained by a minimal fee paid by travelers. We will go towards the same direction as the other countries who have already passed these phases”, Olldashi declared.

The road investments have taken the biggest part of the Albanians’ taxes. Official data of the 2006 budget say that the total sum of money used for road construction is 223.5 billion ALL, or more than 2.2 billion USD.

Olldashi says that the cost of road investments will be lighter in the years to come, because the road network is almost finished.

“When the open projects will be concluded, the value of which is around 500 million EUR, Albania will have a modern road network.  A big part will end until 2013, and others beyond 2013”, Olldashi declared.

Olldashi: Wikileaks? A vitiation!

The Albanian government gave the first public reaction regarding the cables of the US Embassy in Tirana, published by Wikileaks in the recent days.

Sokol Olldashi, Minister of Transports doubts the truth of the cables, especially for the part belonging to the Durres-Kukes road.

“First of all, I have no confirmation that this information derives from the US Embassy. The information comes from Wikileaks. Secondly, it is information that cannot be proved. You have your archives and you can verify it. The tunnel collapsed on November 5th 2008, when it was reopened. The inauguration ceremony was made on June 2009. If the tunnel has not been made functional for one single day after this date, then you are right”, Olldashi said.

He denies of having Bechtel requesting to not open the tunnel on June, although the US Embassy cable says that the Bechtel director himself, Michael Adams, has tried to convince the Prime Minister Berisha to not open the tunnel on June.

“There is no declaration made by the director of Bechtel. You can ask the company and receive an official answer. All of these are speculations. We have had daily cooperation with the company, especially for the tunnel, because it was the most difficult part of the road. All of that is a big vitiation and no one knows where it comes from and for what purpose”, Olldashi declared.

But is this information inaccurate, the one regarding Durres-Kukes road, which the US Embassy has sent to the US State Department?

“I cannot say if the Ambassador Withers has lied, as long as I don’t know if this cable derives from Mr. Withers or not. This comes from Wikileaks. Can you prove that it comes from Mr. Withers? If yes, turn back and I will answer”, Olldashi underlined.

The Durres-Kukes tunnel collapsed for the first time on December 2008, when it was still on a construction phase.

The collapse was repaired by Bechtel and on 27 June 2009 the Albanian government inaugurated the road.

But as an official document of the Ministry of Public Works shows, only a few months after its opening, on 11 October 2009, the tunnel was closed again on both lanes since it endangered the drivers’ life and the company had to make further works.

As the press release of the Transport Ministry says, the passage of the new Durres-Kukes road would be impossible for some weeks, but that in fact went on for several months.
 

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