Investment boom in road infrastructure
Investment boom in road infrastructure. Started construction of two new highways continue construction of Demir Kapija – Smokvica, modernized local and regional roads. The total investment is heavy waving over one billion euro. Construction companies will have their hands full.
“A large volume of work, heavy responsibility of Macedonian companies, we will have to engage in providing and upgrading of existing staff, but also in the creation of new technical and professional staff that will have to carry the whole thing,” says for MRT Sead Kochan, Head of Construction Chamber at the Union of Chambers of Commerce.
The highways Miladinovci – Shtip and Kichevo-Ohrid are built with Chinese money, a loan that Macedonia should repay in a period of 20 years. At the same time, we work on Corridor 10. According to estimates of experts, the construction of highways will be engaged 2000 people: building workers, engineers, designers, architects, building inspectors.
“I fear that the vacuum created in engineering, vacuum of serious investments in the last 20 years is reflected in the fact that we are now perhaps have lack of engineering staff that is sufficiently trained for anything like as serious infrastructure projects,” said in the statement for public service Goran Markovski, professor at the Faculty for Civil Engineering.
Better communication, economic development, and safer traffic are the three key factors that citizens will receive from the construction of highways. Highway Kichevo – Ohrid will seriously revive the economy in this region.
“It would mean that for two hours companies that are nearby will be able to bring in or to exported materials through the port in Durres. Also for potential investors this would be a good momentum,” said Igor Sokoleski president of the Chamber of Commerce – Kichevo.
Currently, is ongoing the construction of section Demir Kapija- Smokvica, two days ago started the construction of the highway Skopje – Shtip, yesterday Kichevo – Ohrid, which means that Macedonia will get new 132 kilometers highway.
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Reconstruction of the border crossing point Bogorodica
The border crossing point Bogorodica today began construction activities for reconstruction of administrative building and associated facilities within the project “Development of border infrastructure between Macedonia and Greece,” which is funded by the EU through the Program cross-border cooperation.
- The realization of this project is contribution to facilitating movement along the Pan-European Corridor 10 and contribution to facilitating cross-border trade, reduction of customs formalities, improvement of the working conditions of customs officers and pleasant stay at the border crossing, said Natasha Radeska Krstevska, Director of Customs.
She added that the project will positively affect the ease of communication of the population in border communities and that is in addition to the introduction of the new computerized transit system of the EU in the country to facilitate customs procedures through electronic submission of documents in transit.
According Radeska Krstevska the reconstruction contributes to the achievement of the strategic priorities of the government i.e. facilitating international trade, but also upgrade of the operational capacity of the Customs Administration and the contribution of bonding and connecting people, cultures, and their better understanding.
Director of Customs announced that soon will be reconstructed the customs checkpoints towards Serbia and Albania, Tabanovce and Kjafasan with financial assistance from the EU.
Magdalena Sharlamanov, Project Manager of the EU delegation said the EU for 20 years encourages the realization of strategic goals in the areas of improving cross-border economic development, inter alia through measures for promoting economic development, facilitated cross-border communication, and promotion of sustainable tourism.
She added that so far, are invested 15 million euro in total 38 such projects.
The reconstruction of the border crossing point will cost 193,000 euro provided by the EU funds and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia. The reconstruction of the administrative building with associated facilities at the border crossing points will last three months.
