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| Bechtel to build new motorway linking Kosovo to Macedonia Bechtel and joint-venture partner Enka have been selected by the government of Kosovo to build a new 37-mile (60-kilometer) motorway linking the capital, Pristina, to neighboring Macedonia. The new motorway, Route 6, will connect Kosovo with the surrounding region and will be the country's second motorway. The country's first, Route 7, which runs from Morina on the Albanian border to the north of Pristina, was built by the Bechtel-Enka team and delivered a year ahead of schedule in November 2013. The contract was awarded following a competitive, international tender process. "This motorway will create a second major transport artery through Kosovo, connecting us to Macedonia and helping Kosovo become a crossroads for traffic from ports in Greece and Albania, " said Fehmi Mujota, Kosovo's minister of infrastructure. "Improving our transport links is crucial to developing new and expanded businesses and will spur long-term economic growth in Kosovo." Construction of the new motorway will start immediately and is expected to take four years. The Bechtel-Enka team trained more than 10,000 Kosovars on the Route 7 motorway project and will continue to place a high priority on hiring Kosovars and local suppliers to successfully deliver the Route 6 project. The Bechtel-Enka team earned international honors for its work on Kosovo's Route 7 motorway. The team won an ENR magazine Global Best Projects Award as well as the Program Management Award in the International Road Federation's Global Road Achievement Awards. The two companies have successfully delivered a number of major infrastructure projects in the region, including motorways in Albania, Croatia, and Turkey. They have completed more than 17,000 miles (more than 28,000 kilometers) of highways and roads, 100 tunnels totaling some 220 miles (about 350 kilometers) in length, and 25 major bridge projects. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Construction News :: home page |