It is the record-breaking bridge for Albania, the New Drini Bridge is in fact the largest bridge ever built in that country and is among the largest arch bridges in Europe, and will be inaugurated in the coming weeks by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
And Cimolai’s time to complete the work was equally record-breaking. The infrastructure is located in the city of Kukes, in North Eastern Albania, between the Drin river and the artificial lake of Fierza, where there is an important hydroelectric power plant, and will allow the connection of southern Albania with Eastern Europe.
It is a strategic work for the country, 271 meters long, made up of three spans, with an arch of 55 meters height.
Cimolai took over the project during the project, at the request of the company Salillari Ltd and the motorway company Albanian Highway Concession, taking the reins of the contract in May 2023 following the difficulties in carrying out the works which began in August 2020. To complete it, Cimolai took established an internal engineering task force aimed at validating the executive project, verifying the status of the structures partially installed on site, and at the same time conceiving and drawing up the assembly and launching project.
An impressive engineering work that also required expertise in the naval and maritime fields, consolidated in Cimolai through a specialist engineering division that in the past has carried out works of extraordinary complexity such as the gates of the Panama Canal or the Malamocco Gate at the Mose in Venice.
«This project confirms Cimolai’s leadership in the launching of complex and large bridges – declared Marco Sciarra, president of Cimolai – and inaugurates the presence in a new market like Albania. The order demonstrates the operational continuity of the company, which managed to successfully conclude the composition with creditors process and achieve positive budget performance in 2023. Objectives achieved – concludes Sciarra – thanks to the support of Sace, which proved crucial to support and strengthen our production activity in the difficult post-Covid-19 economic context, characterized by unprecedented challenges for the industrial sector”
