Durrës-Kukës Highway

A1 motorway shield}}

A1 motorway
Autostradë A1
Rruga e Kombit
Route information
Part of ,
Length 110.0 km (68.4 mi)
Major junctions
West end SH1 in Milot interchange
SH1 in Thumane, part of Thumane - Kashar Highway (planned)
East end SH5 in Kolsh temporary junction
in Morine/Verbnice border crossing with Kosovo (planned)
Location
Major cities Durrës, Laç, Lezhë, Rrëshen, Kukës
Highway system
Highways in Albania

The Durrës-Kukës Highway (Autostrada Durrës-Kukës or Rruga e Kombit[a], Albanian for Nation's Highway), is a four-lane toll highway constructed between 2006-2009 connecting the coastal city of Durrës in Albania with the north-eastern border region of Kukës with Kosovo. The highway is part of a larger corridor connecting Albania with Kosovo that starts near Lezhë, Albania, passes through Kukës as SH5, enters Kosovo as R7, and ends in Pristina near Gjergjica, Kosovo. As part of the South-East European Route 7,[1] the highway will connect the Adriatic Sea ports of Durrës and Shëngjin in Albania via Pristina, with the E75/Corridor X near Niš, Serbia. The project was a joint venture by the American-Turkish consortium Bechtel-ENKA, Austrian and Albanian companies, and is expected to be finalized through a PPP road concession project by the Albanian Highway Concession initiative.

Dubbed the “patriotic highway”, the project links Albanians in Kosovo and Albania, helping to boost cultural and economic ties.[2] The project is Albania's largest in decades, costing over one billion euros. It includes a six kilometer tunnel in Albania, making travel and trade easier for the hundreds of thousands of people vacationing in Albania during summer holidays and for business.

Albania

A1 passes mostly through mountainous terrain. Near the city of Kukës it connects with the National Road 5 (SH5) as a dual carriageway.

The A1 Motorway in Albania, also known as the Rruga e Kombit (Nation's Highway) is a toll highway referring to the road segments between Milot, Rrëshen, and Kalimash in Northern Albania part of the Durrës-Kukës Corridor. In June 2009, the project was symbolically inaugurated with opening of the Thirrë-Kalimash Tunnel, while other sections were partially completed by July 2010,, and summer 2011 as the highway is still under construction.

Remaining segments between Kolsh, Kukës, and Morinë (border with Kosovo) are part of the SH5 Highway instead linking Shkodër and Kukës. However, the stretch between Thumane and Milot is part of the A1 together with the single carriageway section between Milot, and Rrëshen. Portions between Fushe Kruje and Thumane, Milot and Rrëshen, and several viaducts on the SH5 still remain to be expanded into dual carriageways, while the Milot Overpass is being completed as a Trumpet Interchange.

In March 2018, the motorway temporarily became a toll highway in order to upgrade remaining segments to full motorway standard, and cover the costs of maintenance. However such move was fiercely opposed by locals who claimed lack of consultation from the government and unaffordable fees. The protests turned violent and consequently made the government to withdraw from their initial position and make consultations with the affected parties.

After undergoing renovations, the toll plaza is set to open in September 2018 on the eastern end of the A1 tunnel near Kolsh with reduced rates for local inhabitants.

The highway has reduced the travel time from six hours to two, with an estimated speed of 80–110 kilometres per hour (50–68 mph). The highway has also boosted tourism in Albania and deepened the cultural and economic exchanges between Albania and Kosovo. As most tourists come through Kosovo, the laying of the highway make it easier to travel to the Durrës and Shengjin ports along the Adriatic Sea.

Rrëshen - Kalimash

Scene on A1 Rreshen - Kalimash

The most challenging part of the corridor was the segment between Rrëshen and Kalimash, which is around 61 kilometres (38 mi) long. It was divided into three sections - a 19 kilometres (12 mi) stretch from Rrëshen to Reps, 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Reps to Thirrë, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) between Thirrë and Kolshi. A total of one tunnel and 27 viaducts have been constructed through the steep and mountainous terrain.

There are 17 viaducts in the area from Reps to Thirrë. 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 613,000 pounds (278,000 kg) each month. The above segment as opposed to the other ones is of a higher quality both for security and construction parameters.

Construction work on the remaining segments in Albania finished in 2009. Even though in double carriageway standard, Kolsh-Morinë (SH5) lacks the standard of A1 as entry and exit ramps are missing, while uncontrolled entry and exit points are becoming a major safety issue.[3]

Tunneling and Tolling

Kalimashi Tunnel entrance at Thirra

The highway passes through a 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi)-long double-bore tunnel. Construction works on the tunnel began in May 2007 and were completed with one tunnel tube inaugurated in June 2009. The south-bound tunnel was completed in July 2010.

All four faces of the two tubes of the tunnel have been worked on simultaneously. Rrëshen - Kalimash segment's third section of road between Thirrë and Kolshi included Mt. Runes at an elevation of 1,858 metres (6,096 ft). Laying road on Mt. Runes proved to be a challenge for the engineers. 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. A partial collapse occurred at a 50 metres (160 ft) 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 delayed the completion of the south-bound tunnel. During the tunnel construction, the tunneling team encountered five types of rock. In fact, only the north-bound tunnel was opened as per schedule in June 2009.

In 2018, toll booths were installed by the Albanian Highway Concession and are set to become operational in September 2018 near the eastern tunnel entrance as part of making A1 the first toll highway in Albania.

Funding and Contractors

A1 becomes a single carriageway between Milot and Rreshen

The highway project is the biggest road infrastructure project ever done in Albania. Its initial cost was estimated at €600m but during the course of construction this has more than doubled. The project was financed by the government of Albania and some foreign lending institutions. The total cost of the highway is estimated to be over €1bn ($1.4bn). amid allegations of corruption and a growing public debt.[4]

The contract for the construction of road segment between Rreshen and Kalimash, which constitutes one-third of the whole project, was awarded to a joint venture between 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 by June 2009. Contractors working in the remaining portions of the highway were Albanian and Austrian based firms. The motorway in Kosovo was also constructed by Bechtel-Enka.

Albania Exit List

SH5 Dual Carriageway near the Albania-Kosovo border
One of the several viaducts under construction on SH5
Type Name Destination Notes
End of SH1 between Fushe Kruje and Thumane.
Enter Roundabout
Europa Park Rest Area Accessible northbound only
Fushe-Mamurras SH39 Connection to Mamurras and Patok near Adriatik
Laç SH35 Connection to Laç, Shna Ndout Church, and Patok Lagoon-Fushe Kuqe Reserve
Fushe-Milot SH1 Milot Trumpet Interchange linking A1 with Lezhe and Shkoder to the north, Tirana to the south, and Kosovo to the east
Milot SH39 Connection to Lezhe in the north, and Lac in the south
Skuraj SH6 Connection to Burrel, Peshkopi, and Ulëz Lake Regional Nature Park in Mat region
Rubik SH30 Connection to Rubik, Katund i Vjeter area, and nearby Berzane Reserve in historic Mirdita region
Rreshen SH30
SH34		 Connection to Rreshen, Mirdita and Lura National Park to the south, and the old alternate Qafa Malit route to the north
Reps SH40 Connection to old Qafa Malit route towards Puka and Fushe-Arrez
Fan SH40 Connection to Klos and Zall-Xhuxha, Fan area
Kastrati Rest Area Accessible eastbound only
Thirrë-Kalimash Tunnel 5.6 km long
Toll plaza symbol Albanian Highway Concession Toll Plaza To be opened September 2018
Kolsh SH5 Connection to Fushe-Arrez and Puka, planned to be upgraded to interchange standard
End of . Road continues as SH5 between Kolsh – Kukes – Morine with several viaducts under construction. Drini Bridge to be upgraded. Enter Kosovo

Impact

Since the end of the Kosovo War of 1999, hundreds of thousands of Albanians have passed through the poor old mountain road to get to Albania's beaches.[5] 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.[5] Travel times are expected to be lowered to two and a half hours or less, down from seven.[5]

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.[6]

Notes and references

Notes:

a. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 113 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

  1. ↑ http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/projects-in-focus/donor-coordination/2-3_april_2009/working_group_transport_seeto_en.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-plans-tolls-for-kosovo-highway
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya5ksd2ADIk
  4. ↑ http://tiranatimes.com/old_site/index.php?id=180
  5. 1 2 3 Benet Koleka (June 28, 2007). "Highway set to bring Albania and Kosovo closer". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
  6. ↑ "Engel: Berisha si Auzenhaur, nderton sistem autostradash ()". Koha Jone Magazine. 2010-06-07. Archived from the original on 2010-09-21.

See also

  • Albania Motorway Webpage at Bechtel
  • Kosovo Motorway Official Website
  • A1 on Motorway-ExitLists.com
  • (Video) "Albania's major roadworks (Text)". Euronews. 25 June 2009.
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