English
The new expressway between Stracin and Kriva Palanka was opened for the public today. The 25.5 kilometers road bypasses one of the worst sections of the road connecting Skopje and Sofia and cuts down the travel time between Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka by 20 minutes.
This section is part of the strategic east-west Corridor 8. It was built for 93.7 million EUR, 80.2 million of which were provided as loan by the World Bank. It spans there bridges and 13 viaducts. Construction began in May 2018, but intense work was carried out in the past six months.
In July 2024, when I was appointed as head of the Macedonian Roads company, there was not a centimeter that was paved in the fist section of the road. Work was completely slowed down. It was a challenge, but I decided to dedicate myself to this project, and said we’ll complete it by the end of 2024. I apologize, but we were three days late, said Koce Trajanovski, head of the public roads company, in response to the SDSM party, which issued a statement blaming its lackluster performance on this section over the past six years to alleged obstructions in Parliament by the opposition.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called on the opposition to stop trying to use this project for political promotion, stating that the “road belongs to all of us”.
Instead of apologizing to the citizens for not being able to complete it in six years, they tried to score political points. This road is of the citizens, not of SDSM or VMRO-DPMNE. All our citizens will be paying back the loan, and no-one can claim the road, said Mickoski.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski added that the road will be a “vital artery that connects us with Bulgaria and will develop the economy on both sides of this expressway, with new industrial potential, new factories, and energizing the eastern part of Macedonia”.
