Durrës-Kukës Highway

The A1 (Albanian: Autostrada A1), also commonly Rruga e Kombit or SH10, is the longest and only toll motorway in Albania, stretching 114 kilometres (71 mi) in the counties of Lezhë and Kukës. It consists for the most part of two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each driving direction separated by a central reservation.

A1 motorway
Autostradë A1
Rruga e Kombit or SH10
Map of Autostrada 1 (A1) or Rruga e Kombit, denoted in dark green
Route information
Part of E851
Length114 km (71 mi)
Major junctions
West end SH1 at Milot interchange
East end in Morine/Verbnice border crossing with Kosovo
Location
CountryAlbania
CountiesLezhë, Kukës
Major citiesLezhë, Kukës
Highway system

The motorway constitutes part of a larger corridor connecting the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the southwest across the Albanian Alps with the Republic of Kosovo in the northeast. The significance of the motorway is reflected through its positive economic and cultural impact on the towns and cities within both countries it connects as well as its importance to tourism in Albania.

The highway is also commonly known as Autostrada Shqipëri-Kosovë or Autostrada Durrës-Kukës and starts near Lezhë, Albania, passes through Kukës, enters Kosovo as R7, and ends in Pristina near Gjurgjica, Kosovo. As part of the South-East European Route 7, the highway will connect the Adriatic Sea ports of Durrës and Shëngjin in Albania via Pristina, with the E75/Corridor X near Niš, Serbia. The project was a joint venture by the American-Turkish consortium Bechtel-ENKA, Austrian, Slovenian, and Albanian companies. It is expected to be finalized through a PPP road concession and maintenance project operated by Albanian Highway Concession shpk.

Dubbed the “patriotic highway”, the project links Albanians in Kosovo and Albania, helping to boost cultural and economic ties. The project is Albania's largest in decades, costing over one billion euros. It includes a six kilometer tunnel in Albania, making travel and trade easier for the hundreds of thousands of people vacationing in Albania during summer holidays and for business.

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