The Thumanë-Kashar road was inaugurated in June 2024, but the toll road in this segment started only on January 4 of this year. The G2Infra company, which is also the company that signed the 35-year concession agreement with the Albanian government, explains in a statement to "Monitor" how this partnership works.
First, the company underlines that this is a private investment, which means that the funds for the construction of the road are provided by itself. According to the agreement, the same company will continue the operation and maintenance for more than three decades according to a business plan, which is based on the income generated by the traffic volume. The fees applied to the vehicles passing through Thumane-Kashar are differentiated according to the category. The G2 Infra office also explains how the guarantee from the state budget works, in case the traffic volume is not reached according to the basic scenario, but according to the preliminary indicators of the monitoring of these months, the performance has been better than the forecasts, which will probably make guarantee scheme not to be executed.
The concession of the Thumanë-Kashar highway is probably one of the most discussed, you as the holder of this contract, can you give us some more details regarding the form of the investment made, the parameters of the road, its importance as part of the Corridor Blue?
The Blue Corridor is the highway that starts in Trieste, passes through Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and ends in Greece, in Kalamata. This corridor follows the Adriatic and Ionian coasts, enabling the connection of Albania with Europe. The Thumanë-Kashar highway is part of this corridor and a main artery that facilitates movement from Tirana to the north of Albania.
Before the construction of this highway, northbound traffic passed through the SH1 road (Tirana-Shkodër), which in the Thumanë-Fushë Krujë area was often blocked by heavy traffic. The high volume of vehicles and the limited capacity of SH1 caused jams that lasted for hours, especially during the summer. The Thumane-Kashar highway was built to free up this traffic and significantly improve flow.
This highway is of Category A , which represents the highest quality for a highway and is the first of its kind in Albania. The road allows travel at speeds up to 130 km/h , offering a fast and safe route. For example, the planned Milot-Fier segment , with a length of 115 km , will be covered in just one hour. When the other segments of the Blue Corridor are completed, the journey between Tirana and Shkodra will take less than an hour.
Regarding construction costs , it should be noted that this road is a private investment , financed entirely by the private sector and not by the state budget . Unlike publicly funded projects, where problems are covered by state funds, in this case, every risk and cost is covered by the investment company . The high standard of construction justifies the higher costs compared to other roads in Albania.
Economic and Social Benefits:
The highway brings obvious benefits to the development of tourism and the local economy . It creates a faster and safer connection for businesses and visitors, boosting economic activity and creating new jobs.
The highway was inaugurated in June 2024 and the toll system started from January 4, 2025 as notified by you. Have you monitored the traffic during this period that the road has been free of charge and what aspects or measures have you taken to improve traffic management and the payment system?
Since the inauguration in June 2024, we have been monitoring traffic to analyze user behavior and identify potential improvements. Although the payment systems have been in the validation phase, preliminary data show a high adoption of the segment and increased logistics efficiency .
In the first months, payments will be made in cash , as well as with Visa and Mastercard cards . In the future, we will implement automatic payment systems to reduce delays and improve user experience.
We will continue to adapt and optimize the traffic management and payment system to provide a faster and easier experience for drivers. Payment options include cash payments, Visa and Mastercard bank cards, while in the future we will also implement automatic payment systems to reduce delays and increase efficiency at payment points.
How does the payment part work in the sense of what are the prices applied according to the type of vehicle and how will the conversion to Lek be done according to the exchange rate?
Tolls for the Thumane-Kashar highway have been determined taking into account the costs of maintenance and operation , to guarantee a continuous and quality service for all users. The tariff structure is built according to the categories of means and follows the standards defined in the concession contract.
Basic Fee and Conversion Details
Konvertimi në Lekë bëhet duke përdorur kursin zyrtar të këmbimit të Bankës së Shqipërisë, i cili do të jetë efektiv në datën 4 janar 2025. Vlera në Lekë rrumbullakoset në dhjetëshen më të afërt.
Për shembull:
· Nëse kursi i këmbimit është 1 Euro = 98 Lekë, atëherë 2.5 Euro (2.5Euro*98Lekë/Euro=245 Lekë) rrumbullakoset në 250 Lekë.
Kategoritë e Automjeteve dhe Tarifat Përkatëse
A. Kategoria 1:
o Motocikletat
o Paguajnë 70% të vlerës bazë prej 2.5 Euro.
o Tarifa përfundimtare: 1.75 Euro (rrumbullakosur në 1.8 Euro) ose 170 Lekë (sipas kursit EUR/ALL 1:98).
B. Kategoria 2:
o Autoveturat (tarifa bazë)
o Tarifa bazë: 2.5 Euro me TVSH.
o Konvertuar në Lekë: 250 Lekë (me kursin EUR/ALL 1:98).
C. Kategoria 3:
o Mjete me 2-3 akse dhe lartësi mbi 2.2 metra
o Paguajnë 250% të vlerës bazë.
o Tarifa përfundimtare: 6.25 Euro (rrumbullakosur në 6.3 Euro) ose 620 Lekë (sipas kursit EUR/ALL 1:98).
D. Kategoria 4:
o Mjete me 4 ose më shumë akse
o Paguajnë 350% të vlerës bazë.
o Tarifa përfundimtare: 8.75 Euro (rrumbullakosur në 8.8 Euro) ose 870 Lekë (sipas kursit EUR/ALL 1:98).
Për automjetet që kërkojnë transport të veçantë sipas Kodit Rrugor, tarifat përcaktohen në bazë të kërkesave specifike dhe madhësisë së ngarkesës.
Ky sistem tarifor është projektuar për të mbajtur autostradën në gjendje optimale dhe për të ofruar një përvojë të sigurt dhe të shpejtë për të gjithë drejtuesit e mjeteve.
A keni të dhëna paraprake lidhur me volumin e trafikut dhe a janë rezultatet që keni njëlloj me skenarin bazë, më optimiste apo më pesimiste sesa parashikimet fillestare të bëra?
Po, kemi kryer monitorime periodike të trafikut që nga inaugurimi i autostradës Thumanë-Kashar në qershor 2024. Edhe pse sistemi i tarifimit nuk ka qenë ende në funksion, të dhënat paraprake tregojnë se volumi i trafikut është i përafërt me skenarin bazë të parashikuar në studimet tona fillestare.
Bazuar në të dhënat e trafikut, presim që mbi një prag të caktuar të volumit te qarkullimit, 40% e të ardhurave që do te gjenerohen, do të kalojnë në buxhetin e shtetit. Ky është një kontribut i rëndësishëm që sjell përfitime të drejtpërdrejta për ekonominë dhe infrastrukturën publike.
Rezultatet paraprake janë pozitive dhe tregojnë që autostrada po përmbush pritshmëritë, duke siguruar një udhëtim më të shpejtë, më të sigurt dhe më ekonomik për të gjithë përdoruesit.
Në kontratë parashikohet që përveç nderimit të rrugës që tashmë është e përfunduar të bëhet operimi dhe mirëmbajtja e saj. A mund t’i japim të sqaruara në mënyrë më të detajuar planet e investimit dhe mirëmbajtjes periodike që i nënshtrohet?
The Thumanë-Kashar highway is a project built according to the highest European standards and includes not only the construction of the road, but also its ongoing operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance are essential processes to ensure that the road always remains in optimal condition and provides a safe and comfortable travel experience for users.
Maintenance involves regular investments in technological equipment and safety checks to ensure that the road always remains in optimal condition. So far the company has over 120 employees for operation and maintenance and this number is increasing. The costs for these activities are several million Euros per year.
Routine maintenance is performed regularly and includes:
This includes planned interventions to maintain road quality and safety over longer periods of time:
It is carried out at 10-year intervals and includes in-depth interventions, such as the complete rehabilitation of road segments to guarantee its longevity.
The costs of these activities are foreseen and included in the investment value.
How does the state subsidy scheme work?
The state subsidy scheme, provided for in the concession contract for the Thumanë-Kashar highway, is a minimum guarantee mechanism intended to support the project in the event of a lack of anticipated traffic during the first years of operation. This mechanism provides a temporary and limited support to cover part of the revenue if traffic is lower than expected and is a standard practice in similar projects around the world to ensure stability during the first phases of operation.
During the first 8 years, the scheme works as follows:
The remaining and unused value of the guarantee provided for each year, at the end of each year, from I-VII, is burned, so it returns to the state treasury and can no longer be used as a guarantee.
However, it is important to note that based on preliminary traffic analysis, we do not expect this guarantee to be enforced. The data so far shows that the traffic is in line with our expectations, and in some periods it has even exceeded the baseline scenario. This fact proves that we managed to build a self-sufficient and financially stable project.
The Thuman-Kashar segment is built to operate as an efficient and sustainable business, providing long-term benefits to citizens, businesses and the state budget without being a burden on public finances. (A2 Televizion)
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