Feeder Roads

Feeder Roads

Project Description

Albania has an ambitious programme for road upgrading. The programme will provide a more comprehensive network, upgrades of existing roads in very poor condition and construction of interconnecting new links. WBIF supports a number of projects with four grant awards focusing on roads with the involvement of four IFIs: EBRD, EIB, CEB and KfW. This project, where KfW was the lead IFI in collaboration with the CEB, dealt with feeder roads.

The overall length of the road network in Albania totals about 15,500 km, comprising 3,400 km of national roads and about 12,000 km of secondary and local roads. The priority given to the expansion of the national road network in recent years has resulted in inadequate maintenance of the majority of the local roads. The problems facing the local road network are significant, as only a small number of sections are paved and about 75-80 % of the system is in poor or very poor condition. To compound the problems a number of sections are impassable for parts of the year, so restricting access to essential services, primarily health and education. This poor provision also hinders economic growth: the conditions represent a barrier to the private sector development of the rural areas, particularly by acting as a constraint on agricultural competitiveness.

This project was part of a multi-donor programme to support the rehabilitation of 1,500 km of secondary and rural roads in Albania. The aim of the programme was to improve the transport conditions in the rural areas of the country, with about 25 % of the Albanian population, in order to ease the linkages with the markets, health and education services, as well as to contribute to economic development through employment and creation of opportunities to develop the rural economy. These benefits included a reduction in travel time, vehicle operating costs and increase in traffic volumes. One main outcome was expected to be improved maintenance practices on the regional and local road networks. The primary beneficiaries of the investment were the inhabitants and businesses in areas served by the rehabilitated sections.

This project financed by German Financial Cooperation and EU funds was part of the overall investment programme in the rehabilitation of the secondary and rural roads in Albania. It was valued at EUR 24.4 million and aimed at the improvement of priority sections of the secondary (regional) road network across Albania.


Partner Financial Organisations

Western Balkans Partners