Rreshen-Kalimash Motorway, Albania

The section of Rreshen-Kalimash Motorway is a part of Durres - Morine Corridor that connects te largest Albania port - Durres with Kosovo. With a total lenght of 61 km, it is the most challenging portion of the corridor that passes through the central mountain massif, with a very demanding and complex terrain configuration. This is the first of four planned roads and the greatest infrastructure investment in Albania so far. Institut IGH was engaged for consultancy and services of technical supervision on the project, quality and quantity control, execution of the contract in compliance with the FIDIC Red Book, financial supervision, amendments to the design and quantities of additional works.

The route includes a tunnel of 5.7 km in lenght, which passes through the mountain THirre, with the highest peak at 1800 m, 29 bridges of total lenght 4.5 km and retaining walls of total lenght 6.5 km. Earthwork quantities say the most about the massiveness of the project: 30 million m3 of cut and about 13 million m3 of fill. Apart from a 5.5 km long twin-tube tunnel that was the most demanding structure, there are several very important engineering achievements on the section, such as the bridge with piers of 85 m in height, embankment 60 m in height and gabion wall 40 m in height. The entire motorway route and en-route structures were constructed and designed in compliance with valid European standards and regulations. The total value of all construction works amounted to EUR 830,000,000, out of which EUR 280,000,000 for tunnel construction.