Within two months, the most difficult segment of the Kičevo–Ohrid highway will open to traffic

Within the next two months, the most technically complex part of the Kičevo–Ohrid highway will open to traffic, on the segment between the village of Izvor (Kičevo) and the village of Vërbjan (Debarcë), which will fully bypass the Preseka mountain pass.

This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski during an appearance on TV Alfa’s evening program.

As Nikoloski explained, this is the most difficult construction part ever carried out on North Macedonia’s road network, which includes viaducts, bridges, four galleries and the two longest tunnels in the country.

“The tunnel tube is 1,990 meters long, while the second reaches 2,100 meters. They are equipped with the most modern technology for early fire warning, traffic regulation, fire-resistant doors and special ventilators. With the opening of these ten kilometers in less than two months, drivers will no longer use the old road through Preseka,” Nikoloski emphasized.

According to the minister, 37 kilometers have been fully completed on the route so far, of which 34 kilometers have already been put into operation. After the opening of the Preseka section, the segments above Kičevo and the critical point near the village of Botun remain, with completion expected in the first half of next year.

In parallel, the problem with soil and groundwater near the village of Botun is also being resolved. Due to the specificity of the terrain, special machinery has been engaged from abroad.

“The soil at Botun has extraordinary amounts of groundwater. To ensure the long-term stability of the highway, we are going down as much as 24 meters deep — that’s the height of a three-story building. At that depth, over 5,000 reinforced concrete and steel piles are being placed. Since there was no such machinery in the country, we secured five special machines from abroad, two of which are already working, while three more are arriving,” Nikoloski emphasized, adding that on Tuesday the ministry will hold a detailed presentation of this construction undertaking on site.

Nikoloski concluded that even though the project was delayed for years, with the intensification of works from October 2024, the entire 57-kilometer highway route will be completed within two and a half years of actual work.