The Murriz Tunnel on the Arbër Road was inaugurated with great fanfare ahead of parliamentary elections, despite lacking a formal certification report, raising doubts over its safety and the rule of law in public works.
By Vladimir Karaj / Reporter.al (BIRN)
On March 13 last year, Prime Minister Edi Rama proudly declared that the “battle with the mountain” had been won and that the Murriz Tunnel—part of the so-called Arbër Road connecting Tirana to Dibra—would open for normal traffic.
“Evil eye finally burst, because all the negative energy gathered in that tunnel, and the geology of that tunnel was a nightmare,” Rama declared.
The following day, March 14, the tunnel was opened to traffic with a ceremony and music.
But less than ten months later, road users began questioning whether the tunnel had truly been ready for opening.
Democratic Party MP Denisa Vata, who regularly uses the Murriz Tunnel to return home from Tirana, said that during one of her trips she noticed cracks and water dripping from the ceiling. Concerned about safety, Vata filmed the damage and made the footage public.
In response to the concerns raised by MP Vata, the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH) confirmed in writing to Parliament in early January that the relevant section of the Arbër Road had not yet been certified, triggering a new wave of alarm.
“…We inform you that the ‘Murriz Tunnel,’ part of ‘segment no. 3’ of the ‘Arbër Road,’ is a segment that has not yet been handed over to ARRSH for the certification procedures,” reads the letter sent by ARRSH to Vata.
Vata told BIRN she was shocked by this fact.
“The Prime Minister together with Ms. Balluku inaugurated it with drums and celebration even though it has not been certified,” she said, adding that the inauguration had been done for campaign purposes and that the safety of the tunnel remained unclear.
According to engineer Xhevahir Ngjeqari, opening the tunnel without a certification report constitutes a serious violation of the law.
“The tunnel should not have been opened without certification. Even a chicken coop cannot be opened without certification, because it concerns safety,” Ngjeqari said.
ARRSH Director Ami Kozeli insisted to BIRN that the tunnel was safe, despite the lack of a certification act.
“Absolutely yes. There is no safety problem at all,” said Kozeli, who did not answer whether there was a written document or decision guaranteeing the tunnel’s safety.
A representative of the concessionaire company “Gjoka 87” told BIRN that the defects were caused by works on the parallel safety tunnel and did not call the tunnel’s safety into question. However, he implicitly acknowledged that the opening had been premature.
“There was pressure from people to open the tunnel,” he said, adding: “We are more comfortable working with the tunnel closed.”
Inauguration Without Certification
Photos of cracks inside the tunnel, published by Democratic Party MP Denisa Vata.
Construction of the 54-kilometer road connecting Tirana to Dibra began in 2018, after the company “Gjoka Konstruksion” won the concession with a bid worth 33.6 billion lekë.
The project envisages a two-lane road passing through a series of six tunnels and two high bridges. However, the project’s main structure—the 3.8-kilometer-long Murriz Pass Tunnel—stalled due to technical problems.
The road was initially planned for completion in April 2022, but due to issues with the Murriz Tunnel, the Ministry of Infrastructure repeatedly extended deadlines for the concessionaire “Gjoka 87.” The latest agreement stipulated that works should be completed by May 2025.
Two months before this deadline, the tunnel was opened to traffic and the Prime Minister declared it complete. Yet both parties now acknowledge that construction works on the road have not been finalized.
Asked about the absence of certification, ARRSH head Ami Kozeli told BIRN that the process could only be carried out after completion of the entire segment.
“I understand politics, but certification has nothing to do with accessibility of the road,” he said, referring to Vata’s criticism. According to him, certification takes place once all works are completed.
“There are still unfinished works there, but that does not make it inaccessible,” Kozeli insisted.
The company representative, speaking to BIRN on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that works had not yet been completed.
“The Arbër Road is divided into several segments; segment three, because the auxiliary tunnel has not yet been completed, cannot be taken over,” he said, explaining that the cracks and defects in the open tunnel were precisely a consequence of ongoing works.
“There is pressure coming from the parallel tube, from the work being done in the auxiliary tunnel, and there are extreme pressures that have caused defects in the asphalt. There is no structural risk,” he emphasized.
Safety Concerns
The Murriz Tunnel is not the first infrastructure project to be put into use this way. Similar roads have been inaugurated and then closed shortly afterward due to haste, often linked to electoral campaign cycles.
For field specialists, the tunnel should not have been opened without completion of all works in order to be fully safe for users.
Engineer Xhevahir Ngjeqari told BIRN, after reviewing images of the damage, that a clear analysis is needed to determine what kind of defects they are and how serious they may be.
“Such problems occur in construction and are accounted for, but it must be understood whether these are simply plaster failures or structural damage. If it’s just plaster, it’s not a big issue; but if it’s structural damage, that’s a problem,” Ngjeqari said.
Nonetheless, he insists that certification is a fundamental act and that opening the tunnel in its absence should not have occurred.
“Who bears legal responsibility if something happens in the tunnel?” he asks, stressing that ARRSH must provide written guarantees that the tunnel is safe.
The representative of “Gjoka 87” insisted that the tunnel is safe and said measurements are taken every three days with specialized instruments to monitor conditions.
According to him, the auxiliary tunnel is expected to be completed in February, barring unforeseen circumstances, after which repair works will be carried out and traffic will be diverted.
Asked whether there was a document giving the green light for traffic in the tunnel, the company representative said he was not aware of one, but added that “there must certainly be one.”
