Albanian parliament approves bridge connection to Montenegro

The Albanian parliament unanimously approved the construction of a new bridge, which will connect the country to Montenegro over the Buna River.

A draft law for the project was signed earlier in March after the mutual agreement of the two countries, as was announced then by Belinda Balluku, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of Albania.

Furthermore, the project got its final approval last week by the Albanian parliament. This means that the tender procedure is next and after that the bridge is expected to be completed in 18 months.

Buna Bridge will be 310 meters long and connect the two countries between Velipoja and Ulcinj, near the sea front. This connection is meant to make it easier for the residents to access the 34km of beaches in the two countries and help with tourism. Characteristically, the journey between the two regions will be reduced from 73 kilometers to just 310 meters or from roughly 1.5 hours to just 2 minutes.

The project will come at an estimated cost of about €20 million and will be equally co-financed by the two countries.

Finally, a border point will also be constructed on the Albanian side.