Vlora by-pass, work delays and cost increases

If you drove through the Vlora Bypass this summer and were still faced with construction work, don't be surprised. The work that the government has inaugurated twice is still not finished. Two years after the road's inauguration ceremonies and tens of millions of additional euros, the 29-kilometer-long axis continues to have shortcomings in road safety elements.

Despite this, a month before the elections, the Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, reporting on the achievements and challenges in the infrastructure sector, did not hesitate to declare the Vlora Bypass as a completed investment.

Even Prime Minister Edi Rama recently published a video of the Vlora Bypass on social media, advertising the investment with the caption: "beautiful and clean." However, among the hundreds of comments, there were those citizens who pointed out the incompleteness of the work. 

"There's nothing left where the village of Kanin is connected to the bypass!! Where residents protested, there's nothing left and then it's over," wrote one commenter.

Fact
The Albanian Road Authority confirms that the works on this project have not yet been completed. 

"The works on the main road have been completed and the segment is open to vehicle traffic," ARRSH states in an official response to Faktoje, adding that the rehabilitation of the slopes, protection from falling rocks and environmental rehabilitation are "nearing completion."

According to the same institution, the remaining works will be completed on July 31, 2025, before the road is finally handed over after a one-year warranty period. This new completion deadline contradicts previous statements by the ARA, according to which the works would be completed in March 2024.  

According to the ARRSH, the delays in the works are related to a number of reasons. The difficult terrain and geotechnical problems in the construction of the bridges and the stability of the slopes, which have suffered landslides in some areas, have significantly affected the pace of the works. In addition, the continuous requests of the Municipality of Vlora, the communes of Babicë and Kaninë, as well as the community along the entire project route, have brought changes and deviations to the plans. 

The Road Authority adds that the situation has been further complicated by unforeseen works, the relocation of engineering networks such as OST, OSHEE and UKT, as well as ongoing issues with expropriations, including the diversion of the route in the Babica cemetery area. All these factors, the Road Authority says, have produced a chain of delays that have left the project unfinished, despite successive promises and inaugurations. 

13 million euros extra
In addition to the time, the work has received even more money than planned. From the 56 million euros of investment value initially reported, ARRSH now states that the cost of the project has reached 69.2 million euros. The bill for this investment has increased by 13 million euros but ARRSH does not provide a detailed analysis of the reasons that dictated this additional funding.

The 29-kilometer segment is a work co-financed by the European Union and the Albanian government.

In total, the funds provided by the European Union for this project are estimated at 56 million euros, of which 20 million are grants and the rest are loans from the European Investment Bank and the EBRD. 13 million euros are an investment by the Albanian government. 

With this invoice, 1 kilometer of this road cost 2.4 million euros.

Conclusion
With increased costs, missed deadlines and a construction site that still does not meet basic safety criteria, the project illustrates the Albanian model of inaugurations that do not coincide with the truth on the ground. Based on official data and verifications on the ground, the statement of the Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku on the eve of the elections that the Vlora Bypass has been completed, we categorize it as half-truth. The road has been open to traffic but as ARRSH admits, the axis still has work to be assessed as completed and taken over. Faktoje.al