US-based construction company Bechtel and Turkish contractor Enka have opened the first section of the €600m Arber Dzaferi motorway between Pristina, Kosovo, and Skopje, Macedonia.

Named after renowned Macedonia politician Arber Dzaferi, the 60km Arber Dzaferi motorway or ‘Route 6’ is the second road project awarded to US-Turkish consortium.

Bechtel Enka were awarded this contract in following the completion of Route 7, which is Kosovo’s first motorway and runs between Morina and the north of Pristina, much ahead of the scheduled period.

"The 60km Arber Dzaferi motorway or ‘Route 6’ is the second road project awarded to US-Turkish consortium."

The joint venture started work on Route 6 last June, when Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure Fehmi Mujota stated that this motorway will form part of major trade route in the sourther part of the country.

This route stretches from Agean ports in Greece through Macedonia, including Skopje, north into Kosovo and west through Albania to ports on the Adriatic Sea.

Construction work on Route 6 began in the Kosovar village of Ugljare, which lies between Kosovo Polje and Gracanica municipalities.

Bechtel stated the two firms have delivered several major infrastructure projects in the region, which comprise motorways in Albania, Croatia and Turkey.

The consortium have worked on projects that include more than 28,000km of roads, 25 bridges and 100 tunnels totalling about 350km, reported Worldhighways.com.

Bechtel-Enka are contractors for the construction of the Nation’s Road in Albania and Ibrahim Rugova highway.