The Bridge over the Buna hostage to bureaucracies

For three years, Albania and Montenegro have been committed to jointly building a bridge over the Buna River, which will connect Ulcinj with Velipoja. The 20 million euro project should have been completed last summer. But Faktoje's verifications show that the project is in the preparatory phase. If construction starts within this year, the earliest completion of the bridge over the Buna would be in 2027.

Albania and Montenegro will spend 20 million euros on a bridge over the Buna River that will connect the shores of two coastal centers, Ulcinj and Velipoja.

The idea was first made public in June 2022 during a meeting of the "Open Balkans" initiative in Ohrid. At that time, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced the 3D design of the bridge over the Buna River to Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic.

A few months later, the project was concretized in a bilateral agreement between Albania and Montenegro, on February 27, 2023 in Podgorica.

At the second joint meeting between the two governments, Edi Rama and Dritan Abazovic signed the Joint Declaration and the Bilateral Agreement for the construction of the bridge on the Buna River with co-financing.

Fact

Although the agreement between Albania and Montenegro has entered into force, the project for the bridge over the Buna has not started concrete implementation on the ground. The Albanian Development Fund announces that work has already begun on the drafting of the Implementation Protocol, a process that requires interstate agreement and the involvement of the diplomatic corps of both countries.

According to the ADF, after establishing structures and dividing responsibilities between the parties, the approved project and provided with a construction permit will begin to be implemented in accordance with the legislation in force.

The duration of the works remains two years, a period that will only begin to be calculated from the first day of the start of the works, for which there is still no exact date.

"The project, approved and equipped with the relevant permits, begins implementation by respecting all the requirements of applicable legislation. From the moment the works begin, their duration is expected to be 24 months," the ADF explains to Faktoje.al.

The importance of the project

"Bridge over the Buna" is a project ready for implementation by the Albanian Development Fund, shortening the distance between Velipoja and Ulcinj from 73 km to 300 m.

Experts see the construction of this work as an investment with a significant impact on the development of tourism in both countries.

"This infrastructure work will enable an increase in the number of tourists, especially day tourists, who due to their proximity will be able to visit both coasts within a day. The bridge will facilitate the inclusion of Velipoja and Ulcinj in daily tourist guides, promoting cooperation between the two cities in the joint management of destinations, events and regional promotion," says economic expert Teuta Nunaj.

She adds that this infrastructure creates potential for extending the tourist season, promotes the development of small businesses, and strengthens the international profile of both countries within the framework of cross-border and Mediterranean tourism.

According to the project, the bridge over the Buna River will connect the village of Pulaj in Velipoja and Cveti Nikoliq in Montenegro, in the territory of the Municipality of Ulcinj.

The designed bridge is a composite with steel beams and reinforced concrete slabs, about 300 meters long with a width of 17 linear meters. The project foresees two lanes for cars with a width of about 5.25 The average height of the bridge in relation to the highest water level will be about 10 meters so as not to interfere with river traffic. The entire project will cost 20 million euros which will be co-financed by the two governments.

conclusion

Although the entry into force of the agreement is a step forward, the project for the Velipojë-Ulqin bridge still remains in the preparatory phase, with many bureaucratic hurdles ahead. At the current pace of developments, it is unlikely that the bridge will be functional before 2027, if construction starts within this year, as the ADF says. Therefore, based on this information, we categorize the construction of the bridge over the Buna River as an unfulfilled promise.

/ Esmeralda Topi / Faktoje.al