Bechtel and its joint venture partner, Enka, have completed a further 4.5km of the Kosovo motorway. The new section, which takes the total completed by Bechtel and Enka to 42.5km, opened on Friday 13 July and connects with the stretch of motorway delivered in November 2011 going from Morinë at the border with Albania to Suhareka. The growing Kosovo motorway now extends to the Dule interchange in Northern Kosovo. The latest stretch was built in less than a year, ahead of schedule and within budget.
Bechtel and Enka have just finished latest 4.5km stretch of Kosovo motorway – full report on the project in World Highways January/February 2012 issue.
The new section, which takes the total completed by Bechtel and Enka to 42.5km, opened on Friday 13 July and connects with the stretch of motorway delivered in November 2011 going from Morinë at the border with Albania to Suhareka. The growing Kosovo motorway now extends to the Dule interchange in Northern Kosovo. The latest stretch was built in less than a year, ahead of schedule and within budget.
“Each day we are getting closer to our dream of achieving the Kosovo motorway, thanks to Bechtel-Enka. The motorway is already making a huge difference to the lives of Kosovans with reduced journey times, but people should drive safely too,” said Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi.
To mark the opening of the new motorway section, Bechtel and Enka, together with the Kosovo government, launched a new safety campaign along the Kosovo motorway with the slogan: “Yes to Safety, No to Speed’. The week-long campaign aims to encourage responsible driving on Kosovo’s first motorway and includes postcards and promotional cars along the route displaying the safety message.
“Safety is one of our core values. We hope our motorway safety awareness campaign will make drivers think twice about driving safely and not speeding on the new motorway,” said Mike Adams, president of Bechtel’s civil infrastructure unit.
When complete, the full 102km motorway will extend from Morinë to the north of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, and will serve as the centerpiece of Kosovo’s national transport system, helping to promote trade and economic development in Kosovo and throughout the region. The motorway is scheduled for completion in 2013.
Bechtel and Enka have successfully delivered several major infrastructure projects in the region including motorways in Albania, Croatia, and Turkey. They have completed more than 28,000kms of highways and roads, 100 tunnels totalling 350kms in length and 25 major bridge projects.
