Bechtel and joint-venture partner Enka have been selected by the government of Kosovo to build a new 37-mile (60-kilometer) motorway linking the capital, Pristina, to neighboring Macedonia. The new motorway, Route 6, will connect Kosovo with the surrounding region and will be the country's second motorway.
The country's first, Route 7, which runs from Morina on the Albanian border to the north of Pristina, was built by the Bechtel-Enka team and delivered a year ahead of schedule in November 2013. The contract was awarded following a competitive, international tender process.
"This motorway will create a second major transport artery through Kosovo, connecting us to Macedonia and helping Kosovo become a crossroads for traffic from ports in Greece and Albania," said Fehmi Mujota, Kosovo's minister of infrastructure. "Improving our transport links is crucial to developing new and expanded businesses and will spur long-term economic growth in Kosovo."
"Collaboration with the government and people of Kosovo was crucial to helping us deliver their first motorway a year ahead of schedule," said Peter Dawson, president of Bechtel's global civil infrastructure business. "We feel privileged to have this opportunity to work together again and to help further build Kosovo's transport network and expand its economy."
Construction of the new motorway will start immediately and is expected to take four years. The Bechtel-Enka team trained more than 10,000 Kosovars on the Route 7 motorway project and will continue to place a high priority on hiring Kosovars and local suppliers to successfully deliver the Route 6 project.
The Bechtel-Enka team earned international honors for its work on Kosovo's Route 7 motorway. The team won an ENR magazine Global Best Projects Award as well as the Program Management Award in the International Road Federation's Global Road Achievement Awards.
The two companies have successfully delivered a number of major infrastructure projects in the region, including motorways in Albania, Croatia, and Turkey. They have completed more than 17,000 miles (more than 28,000 kilometers) of highways and roads, 100 tunnels totaling some 220 miles (about 350 kilometers) in length, and 25 major bridge projects.
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Bechtel is among the most respected engineering, project management, and construction companies in the world. We stand apart for our ability to get the job done right—no matter how big, how complex, or how remote. Bechtel operates through five global business units that specialize in civil infrastructure; power generation, communications, and transmission; mining and metals; oil, gas, and chemicals; and government services. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents. Today, our 53,000 colleagues team with customers, partners, and suppliers on diverse projects in nearly 40 countries.
Source: http://www.bechtel.com