11 motorways to be built in Macedonia in next 5 years

Macedonia plans to build around 300 kilometres of motorways and high-speed roads, as well as around 200 kilometres of roads, over the next five years, Macedonian Vecer daily writes. 
The plan envisages an overall reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure.
According to Ljupco Georgievski, director of the state road management directorate, investments made in the infrastructure would help and will be to the favour of the citizens.
“As of next year, we will start work on the construction of 11 motorways, as the priority will be put on the one from Miladinovce to Stip, and the one between Kicevo and Ohrid,” he said.



UPDATE:

Investment boom in road infrastructure
SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Starting from the next year, continuing in the next fiveyears, construction of 11 roads and highways is planned. Two highways, Miladinovce to Stip and Kicevo to Ohrid highways are set as priority. Since 2008, 418.8 km highway worth 164 million euros has been built and reconstructed, writes “Vecer”.

In the next five years, about 300 km of highways, expressways and motorways and 200 km of local roads are planned. This Government announces investment boom in road infrastructure. In the next five years the modernization and construction of roads will make Macedonia a country with the best roads in the region.

According to the Director of the Public Enterprise for National Roads, Ljupco Georgievski, the intensive investment in road infrastructure, through the construction, reconstruction and modernization of roads will benefit the citizens and the overall economic development of the country .

- In the five-year plan of the Public Enterprise for National Roads, submitted to the Government , construction and reconstruction of the roads  Veles -Kadrifakovo,  Shtip-Radovish, Smokvica – Gevgelija , Negotino – Demir Kapija , Gradsko – Prilep, Stenkovec – Blace, Miladinovci – Kumanovo and Veles – Kadrifakovo is planned, said Georgievski for “Vecer”.

Since 2008, 418.8 km highway worth 164 million euros, has been built and rehabilitated.

By the end of the year 105 local roads with a total length of 161.3 kilometers worth 15.3 million euros are planned to be built with with loans from the World Bank and the European Bank,.

- In 2014 and 2015, we expect to build 100 more local roads, with a total length of 200 km, worth 20 million euros, says the director of the public company.

Since 2009 , when he started the project for construction and rehabilitation of local roads , and as of 2012, built 203 local roads with a total length of 440.8 km and a total investment of 31.7 million euros .

Half a billion euros Chinese loan for highways construction

The Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, last week in his address to the business community, said that the government continues thie policy of increased capital investments for major capital infrastructure projects realization.

- This mega infrastructure project will be implemented with funds from the Exim Bank of China and the Ministry of Commerce, which confirmed that the loan worth 574 million euros is already approved. It is about building a highway from Skopje through Sveti Nikole to Stip with length of 50 kilometers and the highway from Kicevo to Ohrid and Struga with length of 57 kilometers. The credit debt will have preferential rate of 2 percent. The road agency will take the loan and will have to return it within 20 years, including 5 years grace period, said Gruevski to the businessmen and announced that the construction offensive should start 3 to 4 months after the approval of the loan by the Parliament .

120 miles per hour will be the new highways maximum speed limit

According to the Roads agency project solution, the existing project for the highway Miladinovce to Stip includes a highway construction of 47.1 kilometers. The route will begin with the adaptation of the existing intersection at Miladinovci village, where it will be connected to the existing highways Katlanovo – Veles and Petrovec – Blace. The route continues to the hill Odzhevica on 430 meters above the sea level, then down to the river Pchinja, near the village Sredno Konjare where a bridge will be built. Further, the route climbs to the mountain pass Derven to the south side and passes through abandoned farmland, bypassing an archaeological field, then descends towards the Ovce Pole Plain near the River Perish. After the Ovce Pole Plain, the route connects with the existing road to Sveti Nikole, where you build and intersection and round road will be built. Furthermore the highway continues along the existing road Kadrifakovo -Stip, where it ends.

The highway is planned to have two lanes plus one for stopping.

Traffic lanes will have a total width of 27 meters, and there will be 8 overpasses and 5 underpasses. The highway will have intersections at Miladinovci, Sredno Konjare , Preod , Sveti Nikole – North, Sveti Nikole – Southeast, Kadrifakovo and Three Cesmi.

The new Kicevo to Ohrid highway, according to the project solution, will be 56.7 km long, starting from Kicevo, through Podvis, Preseka and Pesocani reaching to Trebenista. The route connects with Ohrid through Podmolje. At about two miles from Kicevo, the intersection Knezino is provided which solves the entering and the exit to and from the city in the direction of Gostivar and Ohrid. Within the intersection is the road Demir Hisar and Bitola.

According to the project, this highway will have two lanes with a total width of 25.2 meters, and the route will have 6 overpasses, 13 underpasses and tunnel “Preseka “in both directions.

120 miles per hour will be the new highways maximum speed limit, instead of 60 as it is now.