With these new 17 kilometers now operational, traveling to the tourist center of Ohrid becomes faster, more comfortable, and most importantly—safer!

The Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, together with the President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, the Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski, the Mayor of Ohrid Municipality Kiril Pecakov, and numerous MPs, guests, and councillors, officially inaugurated the mentioned motorway section.

“This is a major step forward for both citizens and the economy—a joint success of everyone involved in this project. Specifically, construction works have been completed on two segments: part of subsection 4 (Klimeshtani–Trebenishta) and the entire subsection 5 (Trebenishta–Ohrid), with a total length of 10.2 kilometers. Altogether, the newly opened stretch from Klimeshtani to Ohrid is around 17 km long. The motorway is 26.5 meters wide and includes all structural elements required for a motorway,” stated Koce Trajanovski, Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads.

With the construction of these subsections totaling around 17 kilometers, the following were built: one bridge, 10 retaining walls, five interchanges with lighting (Botun, Trebenishta with connections to state road A3, St. Apostle Paul Airport, Podmolje, St. Erasmus), four overpasses, 15 underpasses, 80 box and pipe culverts, two parallel access roads with connections to existing facilities, two connections to existing facilities, and one deviation of a local road to the village of Klimeshtani.

The Public Enterprise for State Roads remains committed to modernizing and upgrading road infrastructure across the country.

The Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, together with the President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski, the Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski, and the Mayor of Ohrid Municipality Kiril Pecakov, made an on-site inspection of works on the Kichevo–Ohrid motorway from Klimeshtani to Ohrid, and at Podmolje road interchange, where the overpass was placed under a temporary traffic regime.

“Today we conducted an inspection and simultaneously placed the overpass, which is part of the Podmolje road interchange, under a temporary traffic regime. This will significantly ease the traffic flow and increase the safety of road users who travel daily through this interchange toward Ohrid, Struga, or Kichevo.

I would also like to emphasize that implementation of this temporary traffic regime will create conditions for completing the construction of the right carriageway of the motorway in the interchange zone, as well as for the construction of ramp 1, leading from Struga toward Ohrid, and ramp 4, leading from Kichevo toward Ohrid. We expect their construction to proceed quickly, which will advance the completion of the Podmolje interchange.

As you know, since the beginning of July, citizens, tourists, and all those traveling to Ohrid have been driving on the motorway, except at Botun, where we are addressing a complicated landslide. Meanwhile, full-speed works and asphalting are underway on a part of the main route of Kichevo–Ohrid motorway,” said Koce Trajanovski, Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, after the inspection.

He added that asphalting has begun on the parallel access road Trebenishtа–Podmolje–Ohrid, toward the settlements of Gorenci and Orovnik, and that concreting has been completed of the underpass on Section 4 at km 10 + 800 between Mesheishta and Trebenishtа. Intensive asphalting is also underway on a 1.5-kilometer stretch on the left side of the motorway after the Eko Petrol gas station.

Works also continue at full pace on the overpass at Podmolje on the regional road, as well as on the St. Erazmo interchange. Flexible guardrail is being installed along the central reserve, while in Trebenishtа works are underway on the underpass, where retaining walls are being built, and intensive efforts are being made to resolve the connections to the gas stations.

Works are progressing at full speed, with asphalting on the main route of a section of the Kichevo-Ohrid motorway currently under construction.

The Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, together with the engineering team, made an on-site inspection along the route and was informed that activities have been accelerated. The contractors—Granit, Sinohydro, and Ilinden—are actively working on all motorway subsections.

In addition to asphalting, flexible guardrail barriers are being installed, box and pipe culverts are being concreted, works are underway on interchanges and overpasses, lighting is being installed, etc. Expectations are therefore that another section of the Kichevo-Ohrid motorway will be put into operation very soon.

During the site inspection a high level of activity along the route was witnessed, with contractors and subcontractors working at full capacity. Director Koce Trajanovski publicly expressed his gratitude to all parties who are actively and fully committed to the realization of this significant project.

Intensive works are underway on the construction of the Prilep-Bitola motorway, which spans approximately 40 km. This motorway is part of Corridor 10d and of the project for building four motorway sections by the American-Turkish consortium Bechtel and Enka as the main contractor.

The Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, visited the site and was informed about the current status of construction activities. Uninterrupted works are currently executed along a stretch of about 11.5 km, where works are underway on 1 bridge, 2 underpasses, 2 overpasses, 4 box culverts, and 22 pipe culverts. Around 700 workers are engaged at these locations, with more than 400 different machines and equipment from the contractor and subcontractors involved.

Also, earthworks are being carried out on parts of the main route, including vegetation clearing, removal of the humus layer, and embankment construction on some sections. So far, approximately 660,000 m³ of earth has been excavated, 350,000 m³ of fill material has been installed, and 30,000 m³ of concrete has been produced for completing concrete works on the motorway section. A temporary accommodation camp has also been built with a capacity for more than 750 people.

Every field operation brings challenges. This route is no exception, as the process of removing and destroying old explosive devices encountered along parts of the route is still ongoing. For potential archaeological sites, periodic and continuous supervision of the route is provided by the relevant institutions. In both cases, construction works at the specific locations are halted until appropriate confirmation is obtained that the planned route is clear and there are no obstacles to continue the works.

The financial framework for this section of road infrastructure is estimated at 260 million euros, according to the feasibility study.

European Road Corridor 8 is a highly significant regional corridor, as it connects multiple cities from east to west within the country and several countries in the region. For that reason, we are dedicated to the construction and modernization of this corridor. In this regard, we announce that the project for the construction of the Bukojchani–Kichevo motorway section, part of Corridor 8, may soon begin.
Specifically, the Public Enterprise for State Roads, with funds secured through a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will soon commence the construction of the motorway section from Bukojchani to Kichevo, with a total length of approximately 11.5 km.
To select the most advantageous contractor for the construction of the motorway section, a prequalification tender was announced in accordance with EBRD procurement procedures.
The prequalification process has been completed, and nine companies have been prequalified and invited to submit bids. The deadline for submission of bids is September 30, 2025, after which a detailed evaluation of the submitted bids will be carried out and the most advantageous contractor for the construction works will be selected.
With the construction of the Bukojchani–Kichevo section to a motorway standard and as part of European Road Corridor 8, mobility and trade exchange will be significantly improved, road safety will be enhanced, travel time will be reduced, and opportunities for economic development will increase.
The existing section of the state road A2 from Gostivar to Kichevo was designed more than 50 years ago and built as a single carriageway with two traffic lanes in both directions, with an additional third lane for slow vehicles on some mountain passes. However, due to increased traffic volume and insufficient driving and dynamic conditions, upgrading this section to a modern motorway standard is necessary to allow for fast, safe, and uninterrupted international and domestic transport of passengers and goods.
Meanwhile, activities on the motorway section from Gostivar to Bukojchani are underway – Bechtel and Enka are already working on its construction, and there are also intensified works on the Kichevo–Ohrid motorway as well, all these being part of Corridor 8. This will result in a complete motorway connection from the capital Skopje to the tourist center of Ohrid.

The Public Enterprise for State Roads (PESR) is investing in improved roads and infrastructure to connect villages and settlements, enabling easier access to cities, education, and healthcare services.

For that purpose, the PESR prepares an Annual Program for Construction, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Maintenance, and Protection of State Roads, which allocates funds to be invested in road infrastructure through a contract with the Public Enterprise for the Maintenance and Protection of Main and Regional Roads.
One such road section, for which 40 million denars have been allocated and invested, is the R2135 road section Gorno Konjare–Malino–Preod–Sveti Nikole, where the works were inspected by the Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, and the Deputy Director of the Public Enterprise for the Maintenance and Protection of Main and Regional Roads, Aleksandar Shukovski.

Trajanovski and Shukovski were informed that the carriageway had been repaired on the most damaged parts of the Sushica–Malino section, covering a length of 1,350 meters and a width of 4 meters, with an investment of 15 million denars. Additionally the section from the Preod junction to the Krushica village has been rehabilitated, covering 3,100 meters in length and 4 meters in width.

In total, the PESR has invested 40 million denars in this road section to provide the residents of the villages and settlements in the Sveti Nikole area with better infrastructure connections.

Furthermore, construction works are underway on the transit section of Gorno Konjare, with a length of 500 meters and a width of 4.5 meters. The value of the works on this section amounts to 6 million denars, and all the mentioned construction activities are being carried out by PE Makedonijapat.

Road connectivity in rural areas and municipalities as local self-government units is not only a technical challenge, but also an economic and social factor that influences overall development. On the other hand, local self-governments have limited resources, and therefore often cannot finance large infrastructure projects, such as new roads or their maintenance.

For this reason, the Public Enterprise for State Roads, in its Annual Programme for the Construction, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Maintenance, and Protection of State Roads for 2025, has allocated funds which, through the agreement with the Public Enterprise for the Maintenance and Protection of Main and Regional Roads, are invested in road infrastructure in local and rural areas.

One such rural area is the village of Buchin, located in the municipality of Krushevo, which serves as a crossroads between the cities of Krushevo, Demir Hisar, Bitola, and Prilep, as it is traversed by an asphalt road connecting them. This is road section R2339, which also connects Novo Lagovo–Obrshani–Buchin–Graishte.

Construction activities are currently underway on this route to rehabilitate the carriageway with a new asphalt layer, preceded by repair of larger depressions and potholes along the section from Buchin to the village of Sveta, in length of 5,200 meters and width of 5.6 meters. The projected cost for the rehabilitation is 30 million denars, and the workс are executed by the Public Enterprise for Maintenance and Protection of Main and Regional Roads.

Road connectivity helps prevent the isolation of rural communities, and well-connected rural areas are more attractive to investors, which can lead to improved conditions for local development, such as new jobs and economic opportunities.