A consortium comprising STRABAG and Duna Aszfalt has been awarded the contract to build the North Macedonian motorway

The consortium comprising STRABAG and Duna Aszfalt Zrt. consortium has won the international tender for the construction of the E65 motorway Bukojčani–Kičevo section in North Macedonia. The public procurement procedure was launched by the North Macedonian Állami Utak Közvállalata (Public Enterprise for State Roads – PESR) and conducted via its Európai Újjáépítési és Fejlesztési Bank (EBRD) electronic procurement system. In a multi-stage tender process lasting more than a year, this consortium was awarded the contract from among ten pre-qualified bidders, according to a statement from Duna Aszfalt Zrt..

The consortium’s project, with a total value of approximately 219 million euros, encompasses not only the construction of the motorway and the development of the necessary infrastructure, but also the operation and maintenance of the completed section for a period of five years. The planned duration of the construction work is four years.

Mountainous terrain with tunnels and viaducts

As part of the VIII. páneurópai közlekedési folyosó project, an 11.5-kilometre-long, dual-carriageway motorway is being built between Bukojčani and Kičevo. The aim of the project is to establish a faster and safer road link between Skopje, the tourist centre of Ohrid and the Albanian border. The new road will link the Gostivar–Bukojčani and Kičevo–Ohrid sections, which are already under construction.

As the route runs through mountainous terrain, the project’s key technical elements include a twin-tube tunnel approximately 370 metres long and two viaducts, as well as the construction of associated junctions, bridges, retaining walls, drainage systems and road safety facilities.

„This success marks an important milestone in the international growth of DUNA GROUP and also demonstrates that Hungarian engineering and construction expertise is competitive even in the most complex regional infrastructure development projects. Together with STRABAG, we are working on the construction of a motorway that will improve North Macedonia’s transport links in the long term and strengthen economic cooperation in the region” – said Attila Kerékgyártó, Chairman of the Board of Duna Aszfalt Zrt..

EBRD is providing a credit facility of 110 million euros for the project, whilst the European Union is contributing approximately 20 million euros in non-repayable grants to the investment via Nyugat-balkáni Beruházási Kereten.

Construction work is expected to begin in early 2027, following the signing of the contract.