Blace–Skopje motorway works to start; government announces six highway sections
Start of the Blace–Skopje section is planned for around August 26; the government says six motorway stretches will be built and lists further timelines through October and early 2027.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced an intensification of road construction across the country, saying work will cover six motorway sections in the coming period and that the long-awaited Blace–Skopje highway segment is scheduled to start at the end of the month — likely on August 26. He told reporters that all formal procedures for that section have been completed and that a domestic company will act as contractor.
Timetable and other stretches
Mickoski said he expects a second motorway segment, Bukojcani–Kicevo, to begin in September and that works to speed up completion of the Kicevo–Ohrid motorway will continue. He gave a specific timetable for another section: "I expect the section from Izvor to Vrbjani to be opened in the second half of October, and the entire section to be completed in the first quarter of next year, 2027."
The prime minister also listed progress on several Corridor 8 and Corridor 10d pieces: Prilep–Bitola, Tetovo–Gostivar and Gostivar–Bukojcani. He said those three stretches are moving forward with increased tempo alongside the new projects.
On rail, Mickoski noted work on the railway’s section 2 — which he described as part of Corridor 8's eastern wing — and said a public call for section 3 should be published soon because "all administrative obstacles have been overcome." He added that, if feasibility studies and other conditions are met, preliminary work on Corridor 10 could start at the beginning of next year.
Underlining the economic argument for the building push, Mickoski stressed that construction work employs domestic operators and stimulates activity: "we enable to show and prove that decades-long problems can be solved," he said, adding that the government counts more than 1,200 active construction sites around the country.
He finished by saying the government expects sustained construction-led momentum in the coming period. "What is also important to me as prime minister is the fact that economic activity generates good economic results," he said, promising that the administration will aim to deliver on those projects to raise citizens’ living standards.
Photo: press material from the event
