The Western Balkans Investment Fund (WBIF), the joint initiative of the EU, financial institutions, bilateral donors and beneficiaries, which aims to enhance harmonization and cooperation in investments for the socio-economic development of the region, is coordinating the financing of the Adriatic-Ionian highway segment, Murriqan – Lezhë, part of the main European road network (TEN-T).

 In an estimate published by WBIF, the total cost of the project is estimated at 255.1 million euros. Of these, according to WBIF, 127.9 million euros are loans. For the remaining 100 million euros, the Albanian government applied for grant with WBIF. Likewise, the Albanian government will contribute 30.3 million euros from the budget.

 The deadline for the completion of this important axis is planned for 2029. The Murriqan – Lezhë (Balldren) highway will be 41 km at length. The proposed design category is “A”, with a speed of 120 km/h. This segment is expected to have some works of engineering art. Also in this project, since the highway will be completely protected from side entrances, parallel roads on both sides in residential areas are also set to be built.

 WBIF is financing through a grant worth 1.6 million euros the drafting of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment.

 The Blue Corridor project has finally entered a concrete phase. In the Thumane – Kashar segment, work continues at a fast pace with more than 40% of the volumes completed. For the segments Milot – Thumane / Kashar – Lekaj / Lekaj – Fier, the competitive bidding process has completed and three new contracts are being signed to start work immediately.