Esmeralda Topi
During the campaign for the local elections on May 14, the Socialist candidate for the Shkodër Municipality, Benet Beci, made a mark with his primarily technical platform by presenting a detailed program for the city’s development to the electorate. Included in the infrastructure projects for Shkodër was the new Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi road.
‘The new (under construction) Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi road, together with the new border point, will create a connection with the Kraja area via roadways for automobiles, bicycles, and boats through the network of docks,’ states the promise program of Shkodër’s mayor, Benet Beci.
The construction of this road has been a commitment of Mr. Beci since his time as a deputy for the area, while the Socialists had officially named him as the candidate for mayor of Shkodër.
‘Unfortunately, it has been unacceptably delayed, but we will do everything possible to ensure it starts as soon as possible…‘ promised Beci.
Fact
At the end of last year, Faktoje verified that the construction work for the road had not yet started. A year later, the situation on the ground remained unchanged. We found no traces of the promised investment. The existing Shirokë-Zogaj road is excessively narrow and in poor condition.
It takes less than 20 minutes to drive from Shkodër to Shirokë. Reaching Zogaj took us nearly the same time, even though the distance in kilometers is shorter.
Shirokë-Zogaj Road, September 17, 2024
‘They keep saying it will start this year, then in December, then in January, in September… It’s been ten years since they’ve been talking about it, and it still hasn’t been accomplished,’ recalls Valmir Balesi, a resident of the village of Zogaj.
‘There has been 30 years of democracy, and Zogaj is much more behind than other villages. It has been left far behind…’ he expresses.
The last segment of the road from Zogaj to the border crossing point was the most deteriorated part of this road.
The problems were apparent right from the beginning of the road, near the ‘Reshit Hyseni’ nine-year school in Zogaj. Meanwhile, the last 490 meters of this road leading to the border could only be traversed by high vehicles.
Zogaj-Kufi Road, September 17, 2024
When will the project begin?
Although it has been one of Mayor Beci’s primary promises, the institution he has managed for a year does not share information regarding the project. In a written response to Faktoje, the Municipality of Shkodër assigns responsibility for the project to the Albanian Development Fund, which is the implementing unit for this initiative.
‘The Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi road has been tendered by the ADF, and you can also obtain more detailed information from the ADF,’ states the Municipality.
On the other hand, the Albanian Development Fund announces that it is awaiting the construction permit from the Municipality of Shkodër.
‘Concerning the project for the construction of the ‘Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi’ road in Shkodër, implementation works are expected to start at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, after acquiring the necessary permits,’ the ADF argues.
The same timeframe is mentioned in the medium-term budget program of the Municipality of Shkodër, which was approved in December of last year. ‘The Shirokë-Zogaj road will start next year,’ the document states.
Road Project €3.2 million
The Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi road will have a cost of €3.2 million, funded by the European Union through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as part of the project for Infrastructure and Tourism in Albania.
As per the project, the new road from Shirokë to Zogaj will be built on top of the existing one, allowing for its expansion. Meanwhile, the segment from the village of Zogaj to the border will be completely new and will also include a bypass.
The road will feature dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians.
Conclusion
Based on the information collected and the on-site verification, we consider the promise made by Shkodër Mayor Benet Beci regarding the Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi road project to be unfulfilled.
‘Faktoje,’ with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is monitoring 10 municipalities across the country to check whether the promises made by mayors have been kept.
Odyssey of the ‘Shirokë-Zogaj-Kufi’ road
