Construction of the new Tetovo – Gostivar highway has begun

With a convenient ceremony and the government’s presence, the beginning of the work on the Tetovo-Gostivar highway, which is part of Corridor 8, marks the beginning of the 17.5km long section, will cost around 90m euros and is expected to be ready for two and a half years. The project predicts six lanes, three in each direction, ie two driving lanes and one for stopping. The construction project includes nine folders, of which – 8 highways for connecting local roads, one folder for the new intersection in the municipality of Bogovinje and the Municipality of Vrapciste and the reconstruction of the intersection for exit from Tetovo.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski noted that the start of things sent the strongest response to all skeptics and, as he pointed out that they did not promise empty. He emphasized the importance of this project to connect with other countries.

-As a country that unfortunately does not go to the sea, whenever we talked within the government it was a challenge for us to find what our strategic advantage over all those countries in the region and beyond in Europe, and then we all came to one conclusion together, and that as a state we are the only one that may have the potential to be part of the Pan-European. The first is the one we are addressing today, which is Corridor 8, the second is Corridor 10. Corridor 8 connecting the Ionian and Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea, Corridor 10 that connects it in this part of Europe, the Mediterranean with Central Europe, but also Corridor 11.

He noted that with a segment that will connect Corridor 10 and Corridor 11, Macedonia becomes a country that will be directly linked to all ports in this part of Europe and will be an important link of the southern NATO wing.

Vipci Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Izet Medziti said in his address that this section is of great importance to the residents of the Polog Valley and the safer traffic movement.

– With the beginning of this highway, we are turning the Polog region into the junction of opportunities and investments, jobs, we shorten the road between Skopje, Ohrid and Struga, and we are bringing the border of Kafasan to every home and every business idea waiting for the market. We create opportunities to bring our children back home. You will measure us on the finished kilometers, not in spent words – said Deputy Prime Minister Medziti.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, noted that the formation of the Government in one year significantly increased the number of exprotes of parcels on the three sections. The plan, as Nikoloski pointed out, is actively working on the construction of highways within Corridors 8 and 10D from 65 to 68 kilometers.

– In April 2025 we have 2,497 parcels expropriated, progress is multiplied somewhere five times. This means that we are opening a front for work on the Tetovo-Gostivar section of 17.5 km, Gostivar-Bukojcani 14.7 km and Prilep-Bitola 29 km-said Nikoloski.

Josh Baker’s representative of « Bechtel and Enka » in his address exhibited the planned works.

– This regional road will be completed first to provide traffic overcrowding and to bring down the disruption of the traffic to a minimum while the highway is being built. We have a usable approach to construction work at the locations more than 20 kilometers from the route. We are working together with the PESTP and the authorities to expand this even more and have access to more than 50 kilometers by the end of June – Baker said.

He noted that construction works are now in the wake of 3 of 4 sections, and planning progresses for all 4 sections. To date, 1.9 million cubic meters of excavation and 22,000 cubic meters of concrete have been completed.

The event was also addressed by the US Ambassador to the country, Angela Ageller and the Director of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, Koce Trajanovski.