Work is starting on a new Albanian road tunnel project.
A new road tunnel link is being built in Albania, which will share safety features with other modern road tunnel stretches in the country – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
A new road tunnel is planned for Albania with construction now starting. The project is for the Llogara road tunnel, which will cost US$178 million to build.
The tunnel will measure 6km and provide a new road link, replacing Albania's notorious Llogara Pass, which features many switchbacks and can be particularly treacherous in winter time. The project is being carried out by a consortium that comprises two Turkish contractors, ASL and Intekar Yapi, with the package of works having been awarded in October 2021.
Construction of the new tunnel is expected to take 36 months. When it opens to traffic, the journey time between Saranda and Vlora will be reduced by around 40 minutes, while road safety will also be improved.
New motorway connections in Albania have improved transport considerably in the past decade.
