The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy has officially opened the tender procedures for the construction of the Kashar-Thumana highway, the second of a series of major projects on the government's 1 billion euro public-private partnership (PPP) program.
The Kashar-Thumana highway is expected to cost around Euro 245.7 million and will be built through a PPP concession, with the sum to be paid in installments by the government over 13 years according to the terms of the PPP scheme.
Interested companies can submit bids by June 11, while the company proposing the project "Gener 2" has a 8.5 point bonus, which will serve as an advantage in this race.
Recently, Prime Minister Edi Rama has said that the project is highly important both for local and regional infrastructure, as it will connect some of the country's main arteries. According to him, the highway will ensure fast and safer connection of the country's northern parts with the capital city of Tirana and the project will be will be completed according to European Union standards.
"The government paves the way for the second project under the 1 billion euro national reconstruction program, the Kashar-Thumane highway, a segment of specific importance for road infrastructure of Albania we want. Faster and safer connectivity of the northern parts with the capital," PM Rama wrote.
The road will be classified in category A, so it will consist of two separate carriageways with security barriers, each with at least two lanes, a pavement to the left and an emergency lane on the right. The speed projected for this road category is 110 kilometers per hour, but Infrastructure Minister Damian Gjiknuri said earlier that this would be a fast highway with a speed of 140 km/h.