Macedonia to complete Ohrid‑Kichevo highway by early 2025 despite financing hurdles

Vice‑prime minister and transport minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said the controversial Ohrid‑Kichevo highway will be fully completed by the end of this year or early next year. The project, one of the longest infrastructure works in the country, had been stalled with no asphalt laid when the current government took office.

Financing from the Chinese Exim Bank for a €175 million loan was denied, prompting the government, together with the prime minister and finance minister, to secure a syndicated loan from domestic commercial banks. Nikoloski noted that work on the ground resumed in October 2024 and that in the past 18 months more activity has been achieved than during the entire previous period. The road’s estimated cost is €13.5 million per kilometre, making it the cheapest highway under construction in Macedonia and the region.