Collapse of the Librazhd–Përrenjas road: how long will the repair take according to experts?

The interventions have put pressure on the road shoulders, while the foundations have been eroded due to the use of river material, a solution considered incorrect from an engineering standpoint and one that has contributed to the destabilization of the terrain.

The collapse that occurred on the national Librazhd–Përrenjas road axis, near the village of Dragostunjë, is expected to take a long time to repair — in the best-case scenario, several months of work — if current procedures and standards are followed, an engineer within the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH) told “Monitor,” preferring to remain anonymous due to his position.

The defect requires an entirely new engineering solution to be stabilized and repaired, while the infrastructure specialist described the damage as the most serious that has occurred recently.

According to him, there are two solutions. The first is to build a new viaduct, which would require a great deal of time and a complete redesign from the beginning. The other solution is to excavate down to the foundations the mass of soil that has collapsed.

The company ANK, which had been contracted to carry out the works, is considering the second option by excavating the soil and then constructing a new road alignment.

However, the collapsed mass involves large volumes of work and still requires considerable time. All repair options require several months, the engineer said, adding that an emergency passage may be opened, but it would not be safe for heavy vehicles and trucks.

According to preliminary technical assessments, the latest landslide is entirely induced and is directly linked to subsequent interventions in the area, including works on sections of the Corridor VIII highway.

The ARRSH expert said that interventions on the terrain have significantly burdened the rock mass and created additional pressure on the existing road structure.

The interventions have overloaded the road shoulders, while the foundations have been eroded due to the use of river material — a solution considered incorrect from an engineering standpoint and one that has contributed to the destabilization of the terrain.

The bridge that collapsed was built in 1997 and had been in very good condition prior to the recent interventions, which strengthens the argument that the current damage is linked to the new phases of construction works in the area.

The expert warned that stabilizing the rock mass and restoring safety on this road axis will require in-depth geotechnical interventions and considerable time, due to the complexity of the terrain and the extent of the damage. The solution requires time, as not only the road surface has been damaged, but the entire mass on which it rests has been destabilized.

For this type of damage, a new geological and geotechnical study is first required. The movement of the mass, groundwater levels, lateral pressures, and the long-term stability of the slope must be thoroughly analyzed. This phase requires time for measurements, monitoring, and designing the solution, the engineer said.

The base of the mass has been eroded, and now deep retaining walls, piles, new drainage systems, or even partial rerouting of the alignment are needed. These interventions are not quick and require time, he added.

According to him, the complexity of the mountainous terrain further complicates the solutions. The Elbasan–Librazhd axis passes through areas with unstable geological formations. Any intervention must be carried out carefully to avoid triggering further chain movements. Such projects require budget revisions, new tenders, or emergency procedures, which usually take time, he said.

If the solution is not comprehensive and structural, the risk of recurrence remains high. He stated that in the most optimistic case, repairs would take from 6 months to one year.

The current Librazhd–Qukës segment, 25 kilometers long, was completed in 2001 by the company Mavrovo, which had built roads in the republics of former Yugoslavia. The works were supervised by the Italian company Lotus, which in itself became a benchmark for supervision companies in Albania due to the high standards it required from contractors during construction.

Although the road has not undergone routine maintenance as required by standards, both it and the collapsed bridge had been in very good condition before work began on the new Corridor VIII axis.

“KORÇA BOOM”