Entela Chapo
The expansion of the Tirana-Durres highway has brought attention back to one of the clearest examples of mismanagement of public funds. With pine trees planted, relocated, and then disappearing, and palm trees withering within a few years, the history of this road segment serves as a clear reflection of short-term infrastructure projects.
From planting trees in 2018 to relocating them for another, newer project, history repeats itself with high costs weighing on the public budget.
In 2018, the Municipality of Tirana undertook an ambitious project to green the Kamëz-Kashar segment of the highway, planting 410 decorative pine trees of the “Pinus Pinea” type. The total cost of this project, according to publicly available documents, amounted to 277,135,600 lek excluding VAT, a contract signed between the Municipality of Tirana and the company “Fusha” sh.pk
For "Signal!", the Municipality of Tirana says that this price included all stages of planting, from securing the vegetation to placing the retaining elements and initial irrigation.
"Regarding the cost of planting them, we clarify that the contract for planting this vegetation was of the type "Supply and placement of decorative trees", according to which, the cost of a pine tree includes the cost of all processes of planting it, from securing the vegetation, transportation, marking the planting site, planting, fertilizing, placing supporting elements and watering them at the time of planting", says Tirana Municipality.
However, after just seven years, these pine trees were moved due to the Albanian Road Authority’s highway expansion project. According to the Municipality of Tirana, 346 pine trees “made way” for the new highway lane, moving to two other areas of the capital, but there are also those that “disappeared” during the relocation.
The municipality says that 246 pine trees of the "Pinus Pinea" type were replanted in the western part of Lake Prushi, 120 pieces in the Great Park of the Artificial Lake of Tirana, and the remainder remained in place, as according to them, they did not constitute an obstacle to the works.
So, 246 pieces in Prush Lake, 120 in the Artificial Lake, a total of 366, while the Municipality claims 346 pieces, 20 pieces less.
From a field verification, "Sinjalizo!" discovered that not all the trees that the Municipality claims have been moved to the respective areas have been replanted. In Prush Lake, about 20 pine trees of the "Pinus Pinea" type are missing, while in the Great Park of the Artificial Lake, about 8 pieces are missing.
The total cost of moving these trees was reported to be 4,583,333.32 lekë, an additional expense on the public budget.
From palm trees to pine trees, a model of short-term investments and spending
This is not the first time that the Tirana-Durres highway has been the subject of short-term investment discussions. In 2016, palm trees were planted on the same segment, a project that cost 6 million euros and resulted in a total failure.
The palm trees lacked proper maintenance and withered after a few years, forcing the authorities to move on to another greening project, this time with pine trees. The report of the Supreme State Audit Office at the time found that the expenses for the palm trees were unjustified, highlighting the lack of a long-term plan for the use of public funds.
While the pine trees were planted only two years after the palm trees were removed, the road widening was a project approved as early as 2014, a fact which raises questions about the reasoning behind their initial planting.
“Sinjalizo!” approached two businesses that sell ornamental plants to compare the costs reported by institutions with those of the private market. One of the representatives said that the price for a “Pinus Pinea” pine tree with a height of about 180 centimeters and a crown of 100 centimeters, ranged from 3,500 new lekë.
Another indicated that pine trees about 200 centimeters tall can cost up to 10,000 new lekë. According to them, the price is affected by the width of the trunk and the fact that these are imported products, which makes them more expensive compared to domestic products.
This data sheds light on another aspect of public projects, the disproportion between reported costs and market prices.
The case of palm and pine trees along the Tirana-Durres highway is a clear example of an approach that does not consider the effectiveness of public funds. The figures that reflect successive planting, removal and relocation are not just numbers, they are an illustration of how institutions manage public resources.
In the absence of clear coordination and a vision, citizens are the ones who pay the costs, not only in money, but also in the quality of infrastructure and trust in institutions.
