The construction of the Corridor 8 motorway to the Qafë Thanë border crossing is undisputed, but the current challenge is selecting the best route. Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski made the statement.

Nikolloski explained that new route alternatives are being considered for Corridor 8 and that, if another possible corridor is identified beyond the one provided for in the existing agreement, it will be discussed with the Albanian side. The aim is also to give Albania the opportunity to connect through this road. He stressed that communication with Tirana is intensive and that several options have already been presented. “So, the motorway will be built. The question is no longer whether it will be built, but what the most suitable route will be,” he concluded.

The minister also said that the most challenging section of the Kičevo-Ohrid route is almost complete and that the part from the village of Izvor to Vërbjan is expected to open to traffic during October. According to him, the only interchange that remains to be resolved is the one at Botun, and the expectation is that the entire motorway will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2027.

Going into technical details, Nikolloski said that two galleries are completely finished, the third has reached 70% completion, while the fourth is 50% complete. In the Botun area, work is continuing on the tunnels, while computer programs, signaling equipment, ventilation and fire-protection systems, as well as a modern control center, are being installed to increase safety. The expectation is that this most demanding section of the Kičevo-Ohrid motorway will be accessible at the beginning of October.

As for the Tetovo-Gostivar motorway, the first kilometers are expected to be completed next year, while full completion is planned for 2029. The aim is also to complete that same year the second section, from Gostivar to Bukojčani, while the minister added that a decision is awaited on the next section, from Bukojčani to Kičevo.

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The second section of the Skopje-Blace highway is expected to enter the construction phase at the end of this month, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced.

According to him, work is scheduled to begin on August 26, as all the necessary conditions for the project’s implementation have now been met.

Mickoski said construction would officially begin this month and that all formalities and procedures concerning the Albanian section of the Blace-Skopje route had been completed. He said that, as far as he could recall, the start had been set for August 26, but cautioned against treating that date as definitive. The prime minister added that the decade-old project, announced long ago, finally has a contractor—a domestic company—as well as supervision, and therefore assessed that every condition for the start of highway construction had been met.

Meanwhile, work is currently underway at 1,200 locations across Macedonia, Mickoski noted. He also announced that construction of the Bukojchani-Kichevo segment is expected to begin in September, while he said work on the Kichevo-Ohrid highway would be intensified and the highway completed gradually.

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Construction work on the Ohrid–Kičevo motorway is progressing according to schedule, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikolloski announced on Facebook.

Along with the announcement, he published photographs from a working meeting with Koce Trajanovski, director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads. Nikolloski stressed that work on the ground is being carried out at a high intensity, while complex engineering issues are also being addressed.

“Strong coordination and a high level of activity on the ground. The motorway is being built according to the planned schedule, and all complex tasks are being carried out through continuous coordination between the Ministry of Transport, the Public Enterprise for State Roads, and the contractors. We are building Macedonia,” Nikolloski wrote.

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The third financing phase for the construction of the Kriva Palanka–Deve Bair railway segment, as part of Corridor 8, has begun with the signing of the relevant agreements. The documents include an investment grant secured through the European Union’s Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), as well as financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EU’s Western Balkans Investment Framework has allocated €149 million in grant funding for the completion of the third section of Railway Corridor 8.

The signing ceremony was held at the Government premises in the presence of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski; Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski; Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Koçoska; Deputy Head of the EU Delegation Ben Nupnau; EBRD Director for North Macedonia Fatih Turkmenogllu; EIB Director in North Macedonia Bjorn Gabriel; and Sinisha Ivanovski, director of Railways – Infrastructure.

Work on the ground is expected to begin this year. The selection of the company that will implement the project is planned for the autumn, with construction expected to begin immediately afterward. The tendering procedure for supervision is already active and will be conducted in two stages—prequalification and qualification—while the construction tender will be carried out in a single phase.

According to Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski, the agreements signed today are part of the continuation of the government’s vision for North Macedonia to use its strategic position as a connecting hub between Corridors 8 and 10.

Nikolloski said that the construction of Corridor 8 is among the Government’s main priorities. He described this as a particularly important day, emphasizing that, after almost two years of work, a concrete and feasible project had been reached. The minister added that an agreement had been reached with Bulgaria on the construction of the cross-border railway tunnel that will connect the two countries.

He announced that the second intergovernmental meeting is expected to take place in Skopje at the end of the month. At that meeting, the two countries will send a joint letter to the EU, the EIB and the EBRD, requesting the grant needed for the construction of the tunnel.

According to Nikolloski, this case demonstrates how projects can be advanced, problems inherited from the past can be overcome, and processes can be directed in the right direction.

Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Koçoska said that the documentation signed today provides the basis for one of the country’s most important infrastructure projects to continue without obstacles.

She explained that amendments to the financing agreements and an amendment to the grant agreement for the project “Construction of the new railway segment Kriva Palanka – border with the Republic of Bulgaria, as part of Corridor VIII” had been signed. Dimitrieska-Koçoska stressed that this completes the financial structure that will enable the full implementation of the project.

The minister said the new railway line would strengthen the connection between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea, help economic integration, and facilitate the movement of people and goods. According to her, the project will also create new opportunities for the economic development of North Macedonia and the region.

Dimitrieska-Koçoska emphasized that the implementation of strategic projects requires not only political will, but also a sustainable financial structure.

She announced that the 2026 Budget revision had also allocated 5.8 billion denars for capital expenditures. This amount represents an increase of 14.3% compared with the funds initially planned.

According to the minister, these funds constitute investments aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the Macedonian economy, strengthening regional links, creating new opportunities for businesses, and improving citizens’ living standards.

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The construction of the Trebenishtë–Qafë Thanë highway remains in the plans, while the exact route of the project is expected to be determined in the future.

The Ministry of Transport says alternatives to bypass Struga are being considered, following UNESCO’s remarks regarding the archaeological site. However, according to authorities, these discussions do not call into question the construction of the highway.

“The highway connection route will be chosen based on the most optimal parameters, taking into account UNESCO’s remarks as well as full coordination among institutions, with the aim of implementing the recommendations. During the recent visit to Macedonia by senior UNESCO representatives, this project was discussed, as well as the future railway link with Albania,” the Ministry of Transport said.

Citizens interviewed say the most suitable option would be the direct construction of the highway from Trebenishtë to Qafë Thanë. According to them, an old road previously existed in that direction, which would facilitate the project’s implementation.

“To talk about an alternative or a second solution, for me it’s madness. The best would be the natural solution, because the space exists, while institutions have to solve the problems related to archaeological excavations. Let them show the citizens of Struga what the alternative is and what the second solution is,” one citizen declared.

However, some residents are skeptical and do not think the highway will ever be built.

One of the alternative options, previously announced by the Minister of Transport, foresees a connection with the Kërçovë–Ohër highway. In that case, the road would not go from Trebenishtë towards Podmolje, through Struga and on to Qafë Thanë./Alsat/

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According to him, once this procedure is completed, work will continue on drafting contracts for the financing and implementation of the project, while the financing terms will be presented to Parliament.

Nikolloski said that the start of construction remains planned for the end of this year.

“Preparations for the construction of Corridor 10 are progressing excellently. The environmental study and the social impact study have been completed. At the beginning of August, public presentations will be organised, at least four, in Skopje, Veles, Demir Kapija and Gevgelija, where local residents will be able to familiarise themselves with the contents of the documents. This is a high-quality document of around 1,600 pages covering all aspects. Following the presentations, the document will undergo review and incorporate comments from the local community. Under the agreement we have, this phase should be completed by 31 August, after which we will move into finalising and preparing contracts for financing and implementing the project. Everything is progressing according to plan,” Nikolloski said.

He stressed that domestic financing legislation requires the terms to be presented publicly in Parliament. For this reason, according to Nikolloski, they cannot be made public until that point.

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Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski told “Alsat” that the dilemma is no longer whether the highway toward Qafë Thanë and Albania will be built, but which route it will take.

The statement came after a meeting held over the weekend in Ohrid, where ministers and the mayors of the municipalities of Struga and Ohrid held a closed-door meeting with 15 ambassadors of member states of UNESCO’s Permanent Committee. In addition to visiting the “Bechtel & Enka” camp, the companies building the highways, they also closely inspected the Trebenishtë–Qafë Thanë route.

“The first impressions are good; we will see what the report will be like in July. What we will determine together with UNESCO is whether it will be this route or another route that we choose. They always prefer already developed routes to be used, instead of opening new ones, so that the environment and natural heritage are not damaged. Therefore, whether we continue with the route planned by the previous Government or with a partially developed route, which we would then develop further, is something we will decide together with them,” said Aleksandar Nikolloski.

According to Nikolloski, after the decision expected in July, the Government will be able to begin work on the project. However, he believes implementation should not be carried out according to the current plan.

“If you ask me, I think that what was signed as an agreement by the previous Government does not correspond to reality, because Macedonia does not have 200 airports, but only 2. There is no connection to Ohrid Airport and there is no direct connection to the city of Struga. If tomorrow we build links or road interchanges, that is another matter, but they are not included in the project or in the budget. To leave Struga unconnected and for Ohrid Airport, which serves the entire region, not to be connected, I do not think is right,” emphasized Aleksandar Nikolloski, Minister of Transport.

Regarding the railway that will connect the country with Albania, Nikolloski said that UNESCO no longer has objections on this issue either. A project is now being prepared for the modernization and rehabilitation of the railway line from Skopje to Kërçovë, after which the second phase is planned, including the construction of the railway from Kërçovë, through Ohrid and Struga, to the border with Albania.

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