A loan worth US$50 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will help pay for planned road improvements in Albania. The funding will be used for road rehabilitation and upgrade works, with the improved infrastructure intended to support country’s economic integration.
The Republic of Albania will use the loan to help upgrade its road system, boosting tourism, supporting closer economic regional integration and improving road safety.
The loan will finance rehabilitation works to the country’s regional and local road network. Key projects include work to a road section of approximately 10.6km in length, including two small realignments, between the city of Vlore and Orikum along the southern coast. They also include work to a road section of approximately 1 km in length, between the town of Shengjin and the village of Baks-Rrjoll near Velipoje along the northern coast. And also planned are improvements to a 47km road between the village of Zgosht and Ura e Cerenecit in eastern Albania.
The investment will be accompanied by measures, supported by the government of Japan, to offer effective on-the-job training opportunities to young people during construction. Improvements in road safety will follow the recommendations in a road safety audit report, financed by the EBRD’s own resources.
The road design will also introduce climate adaptation measures to improve the resilience of roads that are frequently subject to flooding and landslides.
