Denada Jushi
When he came to power, Prime Minister Rama promised that his government would not stop at just spending the state "budget" on roads, but throughout these three mandates, he, like his predecessors, focused on road axes.
Expensive roads that take time to build, but lack quality and collapse with the "drop of a pencil".
The collapse of Lot 3, the most costly segment of the Qukës–Qafë Plloçë road, just a few weeks after its inauguration, highlighted the problems with how these roads are being built.
From inflated tenders, to the alarming amount of materials used, to the length of time it takes to complete the works, it clearly demonstrates the abuses of these investments.
It was 2014 when the Parliament approved the loan agreement between the Republic of Albania and the Saudi Fund for Development, for the financing of the Tirana - Elbasan - Qukës - Qafë e Plloçës road construction project.
After this moment, the walk begins that "ends" 11 years later, with a pile of concrete in the middle of the road.
The Qukës–Qafë Plloçë road was tendered and divided into three lots. (A first practice also at the Grand Ring Road, a concern raised by experts: why does an axis need to be fragmented?)
Lot 3, which included a total length of 9.5 kilometers, was initially estimated to cost $25 million. But this amount, surprisingly, was not enough, so another $25 million was added, ending up at nearly $50 million for this lot alone.
Similar stories of constant budget movements have occurred along other lots. The balance of this road, for just 43 kilometers, is a full 260 million Euros.
From design to completion, it took nearly a decade and a half. But a month after the inauguration, with dancing and jumping by Prime Minister Rama and Deputy Prime Minister Balluku, this axis collapsed. All it took was a heavy rain.
This collapse was warned by the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution, which pointed out that the construction of this road was done without considering its shape, expansions, or protection from landslides.
Another problematic road is the Korça-Ersekë route, where a year ago there was landslides and cracks of some kindj. Even after the bad weather, this road has shown signs of deterioration and damage.
The cost of its construction is also high. The construction cost 80 million Euros, while the issue of the tendering and construction of this segment is currently under investigation by SPAK.
The Korça–Ersekë road is a total of 35 kilometers long, with only one lane per direction. The construction of the axis was divided, as always, into lots. The first lot with a length of 18 kilometers. The Korça–Ersekë road was supposed to be completed in June 2023. But the deadline was postponed by a year, because this axis did not wait for the inauguration to collapse.
Other axes are also problematic, unfinished and with high bills.
The Thumanë-Kashar axis, at a cost of 330 million Euros, is a significant risk for users, unfinished, with unfinished entrances and exits for trucks of several concrete washing machines along it, with a narrow and contrived exit to connect to the old axis towards Fushë-Krujë. after residents' protests, holds considerable water on the surface, there is unevenness near all bridges, which "throws cars into the air", a significant lack of service/rest areas according to the standards of a European highway, and a number of other problems.
Arbri Road is in the same situation, a road that seems to be "destined" never end, but to participate in the budget permanently, during which landslides have become a common phenomenon.
At the beginning of his first term, the Prime Minister criticized his predecessor and said that "Today, in 2013, Albania does not have a single meter of road certified and completed according to European standards, as all countries of the European Union, or that are candidates for the European Union, have."And yet, even after 15 years, the standards are very good in the contracts, but far from the reality of the asphalt we lay on these axes, or the standard promised by the Prime Minister more than a decade ago."/acqj.al
