Bechtel Enka JV has completed the 38km first stretch of 102km Kosovo motorway a year ahead of schedule.

The new stretch runs between Morinë, at the border with Albania, and an area north of Suhareka.

The entire motorway, built at a cost of £800m, will run from the Albanian border (Morine) to Serbian border (Merdare) and construction on the project began in April 2010.

The project includes 18 bridges and viaducts, 64 overpasses and underpasses. In the first section, 11 bridges and viaducts, 37 overpasses and underpasses have already been completed.

Once the entire motorway is finished, the number of vehicles using it every day will increase from 15,000 to 20,000 by 2014. The journey time will be reduced to two hours, down from the previous 8-10 hours.

The next 23km stretch of motorway is expected to be complete by November 2012.