R 7 Motorway (Kosovo)

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R7 Motorway
Autostrada Ibrahim Rugova
Map of the R7 Motorway
Portion of the R 7 Motorway
Route information
Part of E851
Length 101 km (63 mi)
Major junctions
West end Vërmica, border with Albania
East end Gjergjica
Merdare at the Serbian border (planned)
Location
Major cities Prizren, Suharekë, Malishevë, Drenas, Fushë Kosovë, Obiliq, Prishtinë, Podujeva
Highway system
Roads in Kosovo

The R 7 Motorway (or Ibrahim Rugova) is a motorway located in Kosovo[a]. Forming part of the E851, it is the first motorway constructed in the region and it links the Albanian border at the village of Vërmicë with the capital Pristina. Construction of the motorway started in April 2010. It was finished in 2013 with the Vërmicë-Pristina segment ending in Gjergjica at the M9. The highway is seen as part of the larger Vërmicë-Merdare corridor ending at the Merdare border crossing with Serbia in eastern Kosovo. R 7 is 101 km long at a cost of €824 million. This highway, along with the A1 Motorway in Albania, have set the travel time from Pristina to Tirana to 3 hours.[1] Once the remaining E80 Pristina-Merdare section project will be finalized and completed, the motorway will link Kosovo through the present E80 highway with the Pan-European corridor X (E75) near Niš, Serbia.

History and 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.[2] It was clear that building a highway in both sides would "crystallize a year-round tourism industry and double the size of the Albanian market", while allowing both communities to rationalize agriculture.[2] Construction of the Albanian side began in 2007 and that of the Kosovo side in 2010. After both motorways were completed in 2010 and 2013 respectively, travel times have been lowered to two and a half hours or less, down from seven.[2]

The initial offer was to complete the Kosovo section of the highway for $555m (€400m). The price subsequently rose to $916m (€660m), to pay for 102km of road. In the end, the project cost $1.13bn (€820m) for what turned out be only a 77km stretch of highway.

Once finalized, the project will link the Adriatic Sea with the Pan-European corridor X at the E80 near the town of Merdar between Kosovo-Serbia border.

Exit list

No. Type Name Connections Destinations
1 Beginning of , Vërmica, border with Albania)
2
Prizren south Connection to Prizren South and Skopje, Macedonia
3
Prizren north R107 Connection to Prizren North, Pejë, and Gjakovë
4
Suharekë R117 Connection to Suharekë
5
Duhël Connection to Duhël and Shtime
6
Malishevë R119 Connection to Malishevë
7 End of , the road continues as for 24 km (interchanges to Gjergjica, Sllatine e Madhe and Fushe Kosovë are available)
8
Fushë Kosovë Connection to Pristina and Fushë Kosovë
9
Prishtinë south Connection to R 6 Motorway, Hani i Elezit and Skopje, Macedonia
10
Prishtinë northwest Connection to Pristina Northwest and Mitrovicë
11 End of , the road continues as /E80 to Podujevë and Merdare (border with Serbia)

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. ↑ KosPress (2010-06-08). ""Rruga e Kombit" filloj edhe në Kosovë" (in Albanian). KosPress. Archived from the original on 2010-09-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Benet Koleka (June 28, 2007). "Highway set to bring Albania and Kosovo closer". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-06-13.

See also

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