Construction begins on Elbasan bypass, Karakaçi: It will ease traffic

Work has begun on the Elbasan bypass project, which aims to divert traffic away from the city and provide faster connections between the country’s main road routes.

Infrastructure and Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi announced that work is underway on the section beginning where the Tirana–Elbasan motorway ends. According to him, the bypass will be built as a Category A motorway, meeting the same standards as the Tirana–Elbasan road.

Karakaçi said the new infrastructure would provide a solution to the heavy traffic during this period, particularly during the tourist season.

The Albanian Road Authority has signed two contracts for the project, while the construction site for the first section has opened and work has begun on the ground.

The first section of the route, which begins immediately after the end of the Tirana–Elbasan road, is progressing as planned. The work has also been facilitated by the earlier completion of expropriation procedures, allowing the construction site to open.

Work is currently focused on the first 3 kilometres, which end near the Elbasan Metallurgical Plant. Meanwhile, the following section, extending to the vicinity of Peqin, is scheduled to go out to tender next year.

The project is expected to help reorganise traffic flows and improve the operation of strategic road corridors. The bypass will separate vehicles arriving from the south and southeast of the country from traffic within Elbasan.

The new road will also provide a more integrated connection between the Tirana–Elbasan motorway, the new Elbasan bypass and the Elbasan–Qafë Thanë corridor, improving traffic flows towards the southeast and the Qafë Thanë border crossing.