Kriva Palanka, 23 January 2024 (MIA) – Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, government ministers, EU Ambassador David Geer, and other officials attended Tuesday an event inaugurating the newly rehabilitated and widened 13 kilometer-long Kriva Palanka – Deve Bair section of the Corridor VIII motorway.

At the event, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said the widening and rehabilitation of the section are set to put an end to the difficulties experienced by the citizens who used it, and enable faster and safer travel to the Deve Bair border crossing.

“The construction of the roads, which make up Corridor VIII and Corridor X-d, are for us especially important because the investments in these two corridors are a political and economic investment in our European future. This significant road is precisely the one we’ve discussed from day one with Minister Bochvarski, with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, with their transport minister at the time. Back then, we said we would fully rehabilitate this road, and construct a third lane, which didn’t exist at the time. We said we would also rehabilitate the road to Stracin and begin construction on the Rankovce – Kriva Palanka expressway, which, if the media goes there now, will see that construction is ongoing at an accelerated pace,” said Kovachevski.

The Prime Minister said the Government of North Macedonia has fulfilled its promise.

“And now I want to say to Ambassador Geer and the media to convey to the current Prime Minister of Bulgaria and the former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov, that they haven’t finished their part of the job. They haven’t finished the section near Kyustendil, nor the section of the road to the Klepalo border crossing,” said Prime Minister Kovachevski.

The total investment for the reconstruction of the section stands at EUR 12.2 million, EUR 2.4 million of which were funded from an EU grant, while the rest from a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski, said North Macedonia has a strategic commitment to construct and modernize Corridor VIII, as part of the European corridors that connect the West-East axis, in order to accelerate and facilitate transport to the countries of the European Union, as well as to the Western Balkan countries, with a special focus on the completion and modernization of that Corridor as a project of national interest.

The European Union’s Ambassador to North Macedonia, David Geer, stressed that the prosperity of the EU and its people is built through the development of transport routes, among other elements.

“That is why this route that we’ve seen developed here today is so crucial and so important in linking North Macedonia with Bulgaria, but also linking the European Union further closer to this country. It is one of the most used freight routes in the country, the main transport link between the economies and citizens of North Macedonia and Bulgaria, and the main road in the North-East region of this country. Its rehabilitation and widening will bring many benefits for the economic development of the municipalities on both sides of the border, for the country’s transport network, for the North-East region’s competitiveness, and for the improved functioning of the Trans-European transport network, as well as for the safety of ordinary citizens. This is just one of the many ways in which we are supporting the transport sector in this country including here in Kriva Palanka through the further development of the railway sector for which a tender has recently been launched to expand the Corridor VIII link. I am particularly pleased that we are able to work together in the spirit of team Europe with the EBRD, providing grants and loans together for this project,” said Geer.

The head of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Ejup Rustemi, noted that construction was carried out in three subsections, with a third lane and the construction of four new bridges. He said the road has been widened by 10.5 meters.

According to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Ljupcho Nikolovski, the region, which, he said, had been neglected for years, is finally receiving a modern road connection from Skopje to the Deve Bair border crossing.

The Mayor of Kriva Palanka, Sashko Mitovski, expressed his gratitude to the Government and the ministries, as well as to the EU and the EBRD for the assistance provided in the construction of the project, as well as over “all other projects that help the municipality progress”.

Photo: Government of North Macedonia