Ohrid, 7 February 2024 (MIA) — Recent problems in the construction of the highway route between Ohrid and Kichevo are of a technical nature. The state will continue working on overcoming them, addressing slopes and landslides and solving any other problems that emerge, Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski said Wednesday after inspecting works on the route together with State Roads director Ejup Rustemi and construction experts.

Minister Bochvarski said his ministry and the government were not avoiding responsibility but tackling the issues in consultation with FIDIC International Federation of Consulting Engineers representatives and other experts.

FIDIC experts, he said, had not been consulted during the initial stage of designing the highway sections.

"We are here to show technically and practically how these problems are solved on the ground," Bochvarski said, adding that new landslides required a revision of the project and new technical documentation "that will provide the stabilization of those slopes."

"Many of those slopes have already been designed twice, now we need a third design for the same slope... It is crucial for the future safe flow of traffic," the transport minister said.

He added construction work was continuing on other, unproblematic sections of the highway. Asked about how recent developments would affect the Synohydro contract, he said new deadlines were being negotiated. mr/