Skopje, 23 April 2023 (MIA) - All procedures will be implemented in order to construct the corridors on time, quickly and efficiently, Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski said on Sunday. 

"As regards the beginning of the construction of the corridors, as announced April 22 is the start of the implementation of the contract, when the contractor begins with the development of projects, of urban and basic projects in order to start the procedure of expropriation of the land that is private. This includes construction staking, preparing locations, analyzing offset survey points and elevations, which may have to be displaced during the construction itself. As well as setting the procedure of geotechnical and geomechanical research," Bochvarski said in response to a reporter's question at the Skopje International Airport, where German airline Lufthansa landed on Sunday the first flight from Franfurt.   

Without such high-quality analyzes that precede the beginning of construction, he added, there will be major problems and delays in the further course of construction, and this will have negative impact on the entire project.

"Therefore, step by step, all procedures will be implemented in order to construct the corridors on time, quickly and efficiently, because the citizens have no more time to waste," said Bochvarski. 

According to him, the citizens of Prilep, Bitola, Tetovo, Gostivar, Kichevo, Struga and Ohrid should be asked what kind of infrastructure they want to have for travel and whether they should expect such infrastructure in the next fifteen years or it should be done sooner.

"So far, no funds have been paid to the company. The first payment of funds would be the advance payment for the start of construction works, and every penny paid by the state and the Government to the Public Enterprise for State Roads and then to the contractor will be published on the Public Finance website," Bochvarski said. 

Asked about amendments to the law on construction, Bochvarski reiterated that this is a new procedure and a new construction system, where the urban project will first be approved, and then the land expropriation procedure will begin.

"Since this project provides for phased construction, it means that the state cannot issue ten construction permits for the same section. And precisely because of this, in relation to the basic project, the procedure will be observed with revision, which will be submitted technically correct and confirmed by static engineers. In terms of mechanical resistance and stability, the whole project will also be confirmed. However, the entire project provides for phased construction, and therefore, the legal amendments involve a new model that will provide for faster construction," said the Minister of Transport and Communications. 

According to Bochvarski, everyone is interested in swift construction of the corridors. He expressed hope that all political parties will make a contribution towards speeding up the construction process so that as soon as possible, the country gets modern infrastructure that will contribute to more economy and safe traffic.

Photo: MIA