The Trans-European Corridor VIII is a strategic transport corridor that runs through Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania to provide a strategic east-west road linking Bulgaria’s Black Sea port at Varna with Albania's Adriatic Sea port of Durres.
In North Macedonia, about 305 km of Corridor VIII run from the border with Bulgaria (border crossing Deve Bair) via Kriva Palanka – Kumanovo – Miladinovci – Skopje – Tetovo – Gostivar – Kicevo – Trebeniste – Struga – border with Albania (border crossing Kjafasan), and, with the branch from Podmolje to Ohrid, represents the so-called East-West connection from Burgas (Bulgaria) to Brindisi (Italy).
This investment concerns the rehabilitation and expansion of three lanes of a 13.2 km-long single two-lane carriageway road section on Corridor VIII in North Macedonia, from the town of Kriva Palanka to the Deve Bair border crossing point with Bulgaria. This will allow for more efficient and safer driving for the people living along the Kriva Palanka – Deve Bair route as well as for those transiting to and from Bulgaria.
Improved accessibility to the Bulgarian border will have a positive impact on logistics costs, attracting more international road users and increasing economic opportunities for long-distance truck drivers and local road users. Local communities along the upgraded road would have better access to employment, trade, education, and social opportunities. This is particularly important considering that the northeast region is one of the poorest regions in North Macedonia.