Prilep, 2 September 2021 (MIA) – The Gradsko-Prilep expressway is a priority for the government and has a big economic and social significance for the entire region, Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski said on Thursday while inspecting the Drenovo-Farish section of the road together with the director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Ejup Rustemi. 35% of both sections, Gradsko-Drenovo and Drenovo-Farish, have been built so far on the Gradsko-Prilep expressway. The construction of the road, worth EUR 64 million, will be completed by July 2023. According to Bochvarski, all construction issues have been resolved. “Construction works have sped up on the second section from Drenovo to the Farish Ravine. We have resolved all issues in cooperation with the Public Enterprise for State Roads, and now have a clear track and expecting increased construction activities in the upcoming period. The construction of this section costs EUR 33.3 million. 35% of it is done and the new contractor Sinohydro is now obligated to finish the rest by July 2023, but I expect they will be done ahead of time. It’s encouraging that the contractor is going full steam ahead on the first section from Gradsko to Drenovo, so I expect this expressway to be finished by mid-2023,” Bochvarski said. The bidding paperwork for the third section from Belovodica village to the Mavrovo quarry and for the expansion on the section from the bridge on Lenishka River to the entrance to Prilep is being actively drafted. Bochvarski added that a public call should be issued by the end of the year. “We’re starting to restore the third lane on Pletvar and reconstructing the section from the bridge on Lenishka River to Prilep, together with the public enterprise in charge of maintaining highways and regional roads,” the Minister stressed. Public Enterprise for State Roads director, Ejup Rustemi, underlined that this road is one of the most important roads in this country, with over 6,000 vehicles using it daily. Intensive activities are underway on the Drenovo-Farish section. “Sinohydro, supervised by GEING, has taken over the 10.2 km section. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allocated EUR 33.3 million for its construction. We expect bigger engagement in the construction process. The width of the Drenovo-Farish section varies. Five kilometers have a 12.4-meter asphalt platform that fits an expressway and the remaining five have a 17-meter platform that matches a highway with reduced width,” Rustemi said. He pointed out that only 10 km away from the section, construction works are underway for two tunnels, 21 bridges, five underpasses, 11 support walls, one roundabout and one viaduct, which proves how difficult it is to access this terrain. According to Rustemi, construction company Strabag is taking over the construction on the first Gradsko-Drenovo section, supervised by Egis. “We’ve also started restoring the Farish Ravine-Prilep road and the Pletvar mountain pass, a project standing at EUR 5.6 million, which will significantly improve the road infrastructure on branch D of the pan-European transport corridor X,” he noted. dk/mm