Ohrid, 14 August 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski and the head of the State Roads public enterprise Koce Trajanovski, inspected construction works on the Ohrid – Kichevo motorway on Thursday.

They also announced that the overpass at the junction near the village of Podmolje is being put into operation, which will ease traffic on that section of the Ohrid – Kichevo and Ohrid – Struga routes, while also enabling the asphalting of the second lane on that part of the route.

The Prime Minister noted that intensive work is being carried out on sections of the road affected by landslides, while at the same time, projects are being developed to stabilize the terrain, which is crucial for the completion of the route. 

“We are talking about several kilometers near the village of Botun, as well as the parts where the tunnel connects near Preseka... There are dozens of landslides near Kichevo, and six here, so I expect ground activities to take place this autumn which would make the entire section from Kichevo to Ohrid stable and secure,” Mickoski said.

He said he satisfied with the current dynamic of ground activities, stressing that work is ongoing on three other motorway sections: Tetovo – Gostivar, Gostivar – Bukojchani, and Prilep – Bitola. He also noted the public calls and tender procedures for the Blace – Skopje and Bukojchani – Kichevo sections.

“We have a huge offensive, which I expect will result in the final completion and conclusion of the motorway infrastructure in Macedonia,” Mickoski said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said the junction near Podmolje is one more inherited problem where work was done incorrectly.

“The junction was demolished without land expropriation being carried out and without the possibility of it being constructed. With the arrival of the new Government, all property-legal relations have been resolved, and we’ve addressed all other administrative issues, so as of today, it is operational. This means a much faster flow of passengers from Struga and neighboring Albania to Skopje, as well as safer traffic, since this was a point where there really were significant issues in the past,” Nikoloski said.

Nikolovski stressed that access roads are the priority of activities on the motorway section in the lower part of Debrca, from Klimeshtani to Ohrid.

“This road was designed without a single exist. A motorway without a single underpass planned, and now work is being done on 16. With the underpasses and overpasses currently under construction all populated areas are being connected, so there won’t be a single village or settlement without access to the motorway – either directly to the motorway or to the nearest connection point,” Nikoloski said. 

Photo: MIA