National Road 1 (Albania)

National Road SH1
Rruga shtetërore SH1
290px The route of SH1
290px SH1 near Lezhe
Highway system
Highways in Albania

Albanian State Road 1, SH1 (Rruga Shtetërore 1) is the main road connection between the Albanian capital, Tirana and Montenegrin capital Podgorica. SH1 forms part of the Albanian North-South Corridor connecting Hani i Hotit in the Albanian-Montenegrin border with Kakavijë in the Albanian-Greek border thus forming part of the Adriatic-Ionian motorway. It is part of Route 2 of the European Core Road Network while some road atlases mark SH1 as part of European route E762. In recent years, the road has been undergoing major reconstruction works in several parts.

Route

File:Albanien-Highway-SH1.jpg

Roadworks at SH1 in direction to Bozaj border point with Montenegro

File:New Road in Albania (SH1).jpg

Finished works on SH1 direction Shkoder

Milot - Thumane dual carriageway, part of the Albania-Kosovo Highway, A1

SH1 leads to the Albanian-Montenegrin border at Hani i Hotit border crossing. From Tirana at the Kamza Bypass (Mbikalimi i Kamzës) northward, it passes through Fushë-Kruja, Milot, Lezha, Shkodra, and Koplik. Between Thumane and Milot, SH1 becomes part of A1 motorway.

Background

The road segment between Hani i Hotit at the Montenegrin border and Shkodra (about 32.5 km (20.2 mi)) was completed in 2013 as a single carriageway standard (superstradë). Shkoder Bypass started after the 2010 Albania floods. It was planned to incorporate a defensive dam against Shkoder Lake but works were abandoned a few years later. The road continues as a single carriageway down to Milot and contains some uncontrolled and dangerous entry and exit points.

When it was designed in early 2000s, the road was intended to be a dual carriageway. However, the lack of funding at the time only allowed for one carriageway to be constructed, thus the lack of shoulders. The section between Milot and Fushë Kruje was unofficially named as the "Road of Death" by many media reports for its structural deficiencies. As of 2009, the 25 kilometres (16 mi) dangerous long section is being upgraded to motorway standard and has become part of the A1 motorway connecting the capital Tirana with Kosovo.

See also

• Albania-Kosovo Highway