Gostivar–Bukojchani is one of the four sections that are being constructed along Corridor 8 and Corridor 10, and uninterrupted construction works have currently been enabled on nearly 35% of the total length, i.e., works are underway on 11 km out of a total of 31 km, specifically from the 4th to the 13th kilometer.
It was precisely along this section that the Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski, together with the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, the Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, H.E. Nicole Varnes, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America, representatives of Bechtel and Enka, and other politicians, conducted an on-site inspection of the route to be assured of the works progress.”
Director Koce Trajanovski stated for the media that works progress has been excellent even during the winter period, that construction is actively underway on four bridges and one overpass, and that the twin bridge crossing the valley and the existing irrigation (water supply) canal is a major engineering undertaking and one of the largest in the country, with a length of 386 meters.
“The bridge has a total of 22 piers, with the highest pier reaching nearly 41 meters, and an overall width of 24.52 m. Each carriageway is 11.57 m wide and contains two traffic lanes of 3.50 m each, and one stopping lane with a width of 2.75 m. Between them there is a safety zone—the so-called New Jersey barriers—measuring 80 cm (50 cm + 30 cm). In addition, New Jersey barriers with a width of 51 cm have been implemented at both ends of the bridge. The bridge is in the final stage of construction, and both carriageways are already passable to traffic.”
Meanwhile, the overall progress of the completed works on those 11 km where activities are proceeding smoothly amounts to nearly 59% in percentage terms. In just one week on this section, excavation of approximately 45,000 m³ and embankment works of about 1,800 m³ were carried out. Around 590 workers have been engaged, with more than 500 different machines and pieces of equipment in operation, as well as about 55 trucks. The stated figures also include all local subcontractors and companies from various fields, numbering around fifteen in total. For the needs of the workers of Bechtel and Enka, a temporary accommodation and operations camp with a capacity for more than 1,200 people has also been constructed,” stated the Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski.
The works are being performed near the settlements of Debreshe, Zdunje, Gostivar, Banjica, and Mitroj Krsti, where excavation of materials for embankments is also underway, as well as preparation of concrete elements for installation in the structures along the route. Work is also progressing at an undiminished pace on the other two sections being built by Bechtel and Enka, namely Tetovo–Gostivar and Prilep–Bitola.