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Tunnels that "eat" money, 1.3 million euros for maintenance and fire protection system in Kardhiq-Delvina

2025-11-15 16:14:53Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
1.3 million euros for maintenance and fire protection system in Kardhiq-Delvina

The history of tunnel construction on Albanian roads has been very dubious, starting with the one on the Durrës - Kukës road, the Krraba tunnel on the Tirana - Elbasan axis, the Murriz tunnel on the Arbri road, Llogaraja and the one on the Kardhiq - Delvinë road. In most of these works, the value has increased significantly, favoring the winning firms.

There have always been suspicions that the winners were predetermined, as some of these acts have also been criminal cases. The General Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal investigation years ago into the inflated costs of the Thirë tunnel, even taking the former Minister of Infrastructure at the time, Lulzim Basa, as a defendant. The case was dismissed for procedural reasons, as the defendant claimed that he had not been informed of this matter.

Later, history repeated itself in the tender for the 7th lot of the Kardhiq - Delvinë road, where the former director of the ARRSH was accused and convicted of favoring a company. Meanwhile, the biggest case so far is the construction of the Llogara Tunnel, where the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, the current director of the ARRSH Gentian Gjyli, the former director Evis Berberi, and several other senior officials are accused and defendants.

A long history of abuses that never ends, as from day to day, week to week, or month to month, the same state institution, the Albanian Road Authority, continues to pay and inflate the costs of public works. The same as happened with the Tirana Ring Road, with Korça - Ersekë, Qukës - Qafë Plloçë or even now with the expansion of Tirana - Durrës. But, money is also being poured into those roads that have been on file at SPAK.

Tunnels that "eat" money, 1.3 million euros for maintenance and fire
Facsimile: Announcement of the ARA for the opening of the next tender for the maintenance of the Kardhiq – Delvinë road tunnel

According to documents available to the VoxNews editorial team, the Albanian Road Authority has opened another tender for the Kardhiq - Delvinë axis, after the design, construction, supervision, signage or even the fire protection system. A multitude of procedures, some of which were in violation, as the Prosecutor's Office and the Special Court found. But this has not prevented it from raising more money for the same work.

The ARA, according to documents researched by VoxNews, has opened the procedure with the object of procurement "maintenance of the Kardhiq-Delvinë road, lot-7 (tunnel)". The limit fund is 42,930,000 lek, or about 450 thousand euros. Again a "mountain" of money for the Tunnel, which during these times since it was opened has had a multitude of problems.

The road has a steep slope, both from the Gjirokastra side and from Saranda, and cars have often been burned, on the road or even near the tunnel. There have also been cases of cars being burned inside the tunnel, while according to reports from our editorial team, the construction company "Gjoka" has not installed a fire protection system.

Tunnels that "eat" money, 1.3 million euros for maintenance and fire
Facsimile: Tender opened by ARRSH for the installation of the fire protection system in the Kardhiq – Delvinë tunnel

A few weeks ago, VoxNews denounced another scandal in the construction of public works, where works are built, repaired after inauguration or redone from scratch. Such is the construction of the Skarfica tunnel, part of the new Kardhiq-Delvinë road, a road started years ago and inaugurated in 2022, after a long ordeal of tenders and complaints.

The tender for lot 7 was the most controversial, and the case even went to the Special Prosecutor's Office, where former Roads Director Sonila Qato was charged with abuse of office. She is suspected of favoring a company to the detriment of the "Gjoka" firm, but after complaints, the firm that builds tunnels in Albania won the competition and the value of about 20 million euros.

"Three years after the inauguration of the tunnel and the entire road, the first problems have begun. Or rather, the Albanian Road Authority has found very obvious shortcomings. One of them was the lack of a fire protection system in the Kardhiq - Delvinë tunnel. A scandal if you think that that tunnel does not have such a system.

According to documents available to VoxNews, the ARRSH has opened a tender with the object of "MZSH center and fire protection installations in the Kardhiq-Delvinë tunnel". The procedure's limit fund is 800 thousand euros, as it concerns a fire protection station.

But, naturally, after this tender, several questions arise; Wasn't the tunnel designed to have a fire protection system? If so, why was it done? If not, who is responsible. Of course, everyone is responsible, current or former officials of the ARA who allowed something like this to happen.

Tunnels that "eat" money, 1.3 million euros for maintenance and fire
Facsimile: The tender for the construction of the tunnel was won by the Gjoka company in collaboration with two other firms

State institutions should conduct a full analysis of this situation. If the matter went to SPAK at that time, were there shortcomings in carrying out such an act? Of course, yes, since the state itself spent 20 million euros at that time and is now throwing more money at creating a system that should have been created.

The construction firm is a well-known name among public tender beneficiaries, from north to south, where it has won most of the procedures on roads with tunnels. "Similar works" have favored it in the procedures for the tunnel in Llogora, which it built with a Turkish firm.

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