Skopje, 11 May 2026 (MIA) - The deadline for Kichevo-Ohrid motorway remains the same - it will be fully functional in the first quarter of 2027, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Deputy PM and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski on Monday.

"We will finish the motorway within the deadline given by the previous authorities, not us. They did nothing but give deadlines. We will have an operational Kichevo-Ohrid motorway in the first quarter of 2027. The deadline for the Tetovo-Gostivar and Gostivar-Bukojchani motorways, constructed by Bechtel-Enka, is 2029. The same goes for the Prilep-Bitola section, with one lane completed in the first half of 2027," said Minister Nikoloski during an inspection of the construction works on the Kichevo-Ohrid motorway.

Trebenishta-Kjafasan is the only section where construction works are absent due to the pending consent from UNESCO, which representatives are expected to pay a visit to the area by the end of May or the start of June, in order to assess if the motorway's route impacts the region's protected status.

"There were those who tried to score political points but this Trebenishta junction we are at is the biggest proof of the opposite," said PM Mickoski and added that another route would be sought for the section if the UNESCO response is negative.

The 57km-long Kichevo-Ohrid motorway has been built by China's Sinohydro since 2014, with 34km already in operation. The initial cost for the construction stood at EUR 411 million, with a 2018 annex increasing the amount by EUR 186 million. An additional annex was signed in February 2026, with a further EUR 186 million provided through a syndicated loan from the country's commercial banks after the Export–Import Bank of China stopped its funding. As per the annex, the deadline for completion of the works is May 31, 2027.

Photo: MIA