Bechtel-Enka for motorway in Kosovo

A 60km motorway linking Pristina, capital of Kosovo, to Macedonia will be built by Bechtel and its joint-venture partner Enka.

The companies have been selected by the government of Kosovo for Route 6, which will be the country’s second motorway. The first, Route 7 from Morina on the Albanian border to the north of Pristina, was built by the Bechtel-Enka team and delivered a year ahead of schedule in November 2013.

Bechtel said the new contract had been awarded following a competitive, international tender process.

Fehmi Mujota, Kosovo’s minister of infrastructure, said, “This motorway will create a second major transport artery through Kosovo, connecting us to Macedonia and helping Kosovo become a crossroad for traffic from ports in Greece and Albania.

“Improving our transport links is crucial to developing new and expanded businesses, and will spur long-term economic growth in Kosovo.”

Peter Dawson, president of Bechtel’s global civil infrastructure business, said, “Collaboration with the government and people of Kosovo was crucial to helping us deliver their first motorway a year ahead of schedule. We feel privileged to have this opportunity to work together again and to help further build Kosovo’s transport network and expand its economy.”

Construction of the new motorway will start immediately and is expected to take four years. The Bechtel-Enka team trained more than 10,000 Kosovars on the Route 7 motorway project and said it would continue to place a high priority on hiring local workers and suppliers for the Route 6 project.

Bechtel said the two companies had successfully delivered a number of major infrastructure projects in the region, including motorways in Albania, Croatia, and Turkey. More than 28,000km of highways and roads have been completed, with 100 tunnels totalling some 350km, and 25 major bridge projects.