The Albanian government has sent a draft law in parliament which creates the legal basis for giving through concession the maintenance of highways and important national roads through toll payment.
The Ministry of Economic Development, as initiator of this draft-law, explains that this measure is urgent due to the inadequate situation in which some roads are currently in.
The draft is compiled regarding the highways that have been damaged or where the construction is not over yet, and need additional restoration.
The report explains that by evaluating the traffic risks, it is necessary to intervene with immediate procedures in which is foreseen not only the concession of these axes, but also the inclusion of new services that will increase the budget, such as placing toll booths for collecting the fees.
The purpose of this law, as explained in the report, is that private operators should maintain the roads and work for their improvement, by widening them or by building additional structures, such as bridges when necessary.
One of the first roads which might go to concession is the Durres-Kukes road, which had a cost higher than 1 billion EUR. Not only it is not complete, but it also has high maintenance costs that according to the Ministry of Finances mount up to 10 million USD each year.
The government wants to pass this service to private operators. Another road that might have toll fees is the Tirana – Elbasan road.
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