While Kosovo has taken concrete steps toward building the Prizren–Tetovo road link, a complete project for the route is still lacking on the other side of the border. Despite this, part of the road is being built toward Shipkovica, even though the final project for the entire route has not been completed. Tetovo Mayor Bilall Kasami says the current segment will later be harmonized with the final project, but confirms that no concrete project currently exists.
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“We do not have a complete project for the road route. There has been a study that presented several options, and we are now implementing one segment of that route. According to the study, the road runs from Tetovo to the village of Shipkovica, where several options have been proposed. One of them is the one currently being implemented. For the time being, there is no concrete project. Once the project is completed, the road route will also be adapted to the existing roads, and an exit toward Shipkovica will be planned,” said Bilall Kasami, mayor of the Municipality of Tetovo.
According to Kasami, several alternatives have been analyzed for the construction of the road and tunnel. The two governments have chosen the option involving a tunnel approximately six kilometers long, but he stresses that this solution, too, has not yet been turned into a complete project.
“Several options have been offered for the various choices. You know that, according to the study currently being prepared for the Tetovo–Prizren road, there were three tunnel options. One option involved no tunnel, with the road going over the top of the hill; another involved a three-kilometer tunnel, and another a six-kilometer tunnel. For the time being, the governments of the two countries have chosen the six-kilometer tunnel option. Therefore, the road is not a concrete project; there is a study and a conceptual design,” Kasami said.
Meanwhile, efforts to build the Prizren–Tetovo road are continuing in Kosovo. During a meeting in New York with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called for the procedures for the tunnel linking Prizren and Tetovo to be accelerated.
“I emphasized the importance of accelerating the procedures for the Prizren–Tetovo tunnel, as a project of particular importance to citizens, as well as to the development of tourism and the economies of both countries,” Kurti wrote on his Facebook page.
The project is estimated to be worth around 200 million euros, with funding expected to be provided jointly by the two governments. Its completion would significantly shorten the distance between Tetovo and Prizren, enabling a faster and more direct connection while creating opportunities for economic and tourism development. However, while Kosovo is talking about accelerating the procedures, on the other side of the border the process remains at the stage of studies, alternatives and a conceptual design.
