Author: Entela Çapo
The Thumanë-Kashar highway, the first category A highway in Albania, with a length of 20.8 kilometers, was opened on June 30 of this year. However, while the government and contractors "celebrate" the completion of this project, another story unfolds behind it.
Since June 30, when the Thumanë - Kashar highway (20.8 km) was opened, about 85 thousand residents of the Krujë Municipality, especially those who live in the areas near the highway, remained blocked and without direct access to the highway.
For Andi Gjoka, a businessman and resident of Thumana, the new road was not only not a good investment for his flower business, but on the contrary, it turned into one of the main factors of the destruction of his properties.
"It's been six months since they paralyzed our entire business, our road was blocked, our property was divided into three parts, they took our property without giving us any compensation, they destroyed my business and flowers and nobody held any responsibility", he said to Sinjalizo.
Gjoka says that with the opening of the highway, entrances and exits were blocked for the residents of the area and other citizens, and the work in his business dropped to 60%.
"Before, there was more work, because everyone moved here, Serbs, Montenegrins, Europeans, Kosovars. Based on the road, we also did business", He says.
This situation was not only disturbing for Andi, but also for other residents of the area, who joined and protested for days, demanding the opening of an axis to connect Thumana with the highway.
"Those who have businesses have had the same fate as me, despite the fact that I am the most damaged, but there are also many others who have bars, hotels, furniture stores that are no longer able to pay their rents", he said.
Urbanist Doriana Musaj says that it has never happened before in the works that have been done in Albania that entire communities are isolated, calling this an unprecedented act. In addition to speeding up the movement, Musaj says the road seems to prioritize those who are directly affected.
"In addition to the difficulties of the residents who cannot access it, all the problems that the road has brought in expropriations, displacements, and collapses are costs. This disregard for the isolation of residents from this road is unforgivable for the authority and the ministry in particular", says Musaj.
The new way, damages the old
Another concern of the residents of Thumana is the damage to the old road that comes from Fushë Kruja towards their area. Off camera, residents told Sinjalizo that due to the frequent movement of heavy vehicles throughout the day, the road has been destroyed.
The damage, according to them, also came due to the lack of entrances and exits on the highway, a way which would facilitate the traffic of these vehicles in their area. Apart from the road, the most worrying for them is the safety of the children, since these vehicles cross this road at any time of the day, even when the children go to or return from school.
"This is a neighborhood road, now all vehicles pass because of the new road. Children pass by and go to school", one of the citizens told Sinjalizo. "The school is close to the road, children cross the road to go to shops, it's scary.
High-tonnage vehicles access the same road infrastructure as other vehicles, but for urban planners, movement, timing, and the segments in which they move need to be planned.
"They cannot move at the same time as the children go to school, and this unfortunately happens everywhere, even in Tirana. This is one of the main links that directly impacts safety, at the same time that children go to school, trucks cannot pass on the same road", says urban planner Doriana Musaj, adding that the situation must be addressed by the Traffic Police and the authorities that then supervise the work, which in this case is the ARRSH.
Continuous protests since the start of the works
Since the beginning of the works in this segment, citizens have expressed concern about this situation and started protests. Initially, it was the residents of Bërxulla who blocked the roads in protest last year, after the start of the works, as they claimed, their homes in the legalization process were in danger of collapsing, as they were affected by the construction plan.
Despite the many protests of these families, their homes were demolished. Even the inauguration of the new road on June 30, 2024, was followed by numerous protests by the citizens of Kruja, Fushë-Kruja and Thumana, who found themselves blocked without entrance and exit to the highway, unable to move freely to work , school or other essential destinations.
The new road has not brought any development for them, but on the contrary, it has brought an immediate interruption of their daily movement. But the residents' protests put the government in motion.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, informed me a few days ago that the node that will finally solve the problem of Thumana, Fushë-Kruja and Kruja, is the Thumana node, which according to her, is part of the project that will continue , from Thumana to Milot.
"That node that will finally solve the problem of Thumana, Fushë-Kruja and Kruja, is the Thumana node that is located as part of the project that will continue from Thumana to Milot. It is only 4 kilometers away from the existing overpass in Grazma", Balluku said.
The Minister of Infrastructure said that in a conversation with the residents, it was agreed that the existing overpass of Grazma will be a provisional solution for them.
"We clarified with the residents that provisionally they will access the Gramza overpass with a dedicated ramp, thus solving until the day when we have the complete roundabout and overpass in the Thumana entrance area. We have agreed that if they see fit, an agreement with the community is needed, as there are also houses that we can consider turning the Gramza overpass into a permanent joint in the future", said Balluku on September 12, in an interview with the opposition MPs.
Even for Andi Gjoka, the creation of a temporary overpass in Gramëz right now will serve the residents, businesses and traffic in the area.
But for urban planner Doriana Musaj, correcting mistakes does not mean that they are permanently resolved. For him, provisional solutions can also become the cause of problems that can then be amplified, since they are not designed solutions.
"We need permanent solutions so that residents can be sure of accessing the road without contrived interventions, until a long-term solution is given", she says.
While the government says it is addressing the concerns of Thumane residents, the long-term impacts of the Thumane-Kashar Highway remain unaddressed. While temporary solutions, such as the Gramëza flyover, offer some relief and hope, the demand for well-planned infrastructure continues.
With the temporary solution stemming from protests and struggling businesses, the highway's success will depend not only on reducing traffic, but also on addressing the concerns of communities affected by the new highway.
Project planning
The construction of this axis, according to the project, foresees that its constituent parts are 14 underpasses, 12 bridges, emergency lanes and 3 overpasses/intersections, namely the intersection of the Rinas Airport, the intersection on the Tirana-Durrës highway, and the one of Thumana, which does not is still being built, which has caused problems for all citizens.
The lack of construction of the Thumana junction, which was intended to facilitate access to the surrounding areas, has highlighted shortcomings in the planning and implementation of the motorway project, where the focus on new road infrastructure overshadowed the practical needs of the communities it was supposed to serve. served.
The case of the Thumanë-Kashar highway underlines the importance of comprehensive urban planning that prioritizes the needs of all actors, including local communities. It also serves as a special cautionary case for the potential consequences of inadequate oversight of large infrastructure projects.
This article was created based on input provided by individuals who have chosen to speak up. Share your story, empower others and be an agent for change. Visit the website: www.acqj.al/sinjalizo-dhe-ti/
