For over two years, Albania and Montenegro have been planning to jointly construct a bridge over the Buna River, which will connect Ulcinj—the southernmost municipality of Montenegro—with the Velipoja resort in Albania. The project was scheduled to be completed in August of this year, but Faktoje’s investigations show that the deadlines have been missed. The 20-million-euro Buna Bridge project is now expected to start at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
Esmeralda Topi
Two years ago, at an Open Balkan initiative meeting in Ohrid, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović to the 3D design of the Buna River bridge, an idea previously proposed by Abazović to connect Velipojë with Ulcinj.
The project was formalized in a Bilateral Agreement between Albania and Montenegro on February 27, 2023, in Podgorica. During the second joint meeting of the two governments, Edi Rama and Dritan Abazović signed the Joint Declaration and Bilateral Agreement for the construction of the Buna River bridge, which is valued at 20 million euros.
The concept for the bridge connecting Velipoja with Ulcinj was developed by the Albanian Development Fund. The technical design of the bridge, budget preparation, and construction permits were expected to be completed by February 2023 to allow for the commencement of on-site work. The project was initially planned to be completed by August of this year.
Verification
It has been confirmed that the promised deadline for completing the project has been missed. Faktoje’s investigation reveals that work on the project, which was supposed to begin this month, has not yet started on-site.
The Albanian Development Fund indicates that construction is expected to commence at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2025.
‘The expected duration for this project is 24 months. As a result, completion is projected for the end of 2026 or early 2027,’ according to ADF, which did not provide reasons for the deadline breach.
In parallel with the bridge construction, the Albanian Development Fund also notes that a joint border crossing point will be established to facilitate access for citizens.
Tourism Requires Infrastructure
The construction of the bridge over the Buna River and the connection of two major tourist hubs will be crucial for the development of tourism in Albania, according to Zak Topuzi, Chairman of the Tourism Association, in an interview with Faktoje.
‘This is a significant boost for Albanian tourism and for those wishing to visit Montenegro. Moreover, it will be a valuable link for Albanian tourists from Kosovo who come from the diaspora and tour in Albania,’ he noted, emphasizing the urgency of starting the project:
‘With the visa liberalization for Kosovo, there is a risk because it has opened up an attractive route to Greece for them. Hence, the construction of this bridge, which facilitates travel and shortens distances, will be beneficial at this critical time and should begin as soon as possible. It must not remain just a project’, argued the Chairman of the Tourism Association.
Project
The ‘Bridge over the Buna’ is a project ready for implementation by the Albanian Development Fund, which will be co-financed by both governments, shortening the distance between Velipoja and Ulcinj from 73 km to just 300 meters.
As per the project, the bridge over the Buna River will connect Pulaj village in Velipoja with Cveti Nikolić in Montenegro, within the Ulcinj Municipality.
The bridge will be a composite structure with a steel beam and reinforced concrete deck, approximately 300 meters in length and 17 meters in width. It will feature two sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides, with two vehicle lanes, each about 5.25 meters wide.
The average height of the bridge relative to the highest water level will be about 10 meters to avoid disrupting river traffic.
The total cost of the project is estimated at 20 million euros, and construction is expected to last around two years.
