Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev and Transportation Minister Vlado Misajlovski said that 95 percent of the route of newly built Miladinovci - Stip highway has been prepared and 9 percent have been paved so far.
"From what we were able to see, 39 percent of the total work has been completed and construction is on schedule. We can expect to have a completely new highway in a year, as planned", Dimitriev said, after visiting the construction site.
The highway is a 206 million EUR investment being built with the support of the Chinese Sinohydro corporation, while Granit and Beton from Macedonia perform much of the work as subcontractors. The highway is expected to dramatically reduce travel time from the capital Skopje to Stip, which is the largest city in the eastern region. It announced a spate of infrastructure investments in this region, where the Veles - Stip road is being turned into an express way, which is also planned for the Stip - Kocani road. Prime Minister Dimitriev said that this is only one of the three highways currently under construction in different parts of Macedonia.
"This is a historic moment for the country and for the development of our economy. We are building 165 kilometers of new highways simultaneously, an investment of 800 million EUR. Over 2.500 people are working on the three sites. This is a serious boost for Macedonian construction companies", Dimitriev said. Of the two other highways, one is being built to by-pass the Demir Kapija gorge and complete the north - south corridor 10 highway, and the other will link Kicevo and Ohrid, and will help complete the Skopje - Ohrid link.
Minister Misajloski said that the express way projects in the eastern region will cost additional 300 million EUR and will link Stip and Kocani, Kocani with Delcevo, Stip - Radovis and Kriva Palanka - Rankovce.
