Road safety remains a top priority for the European Union’s Connectivity Agenda in the Western Balkans. Much of Road Corridor X in North Macedonia from Tabanovce to Gevgelija is equipped with old safety crash barriers (guardrails) which were built to ex-Yugoslavian standards. This has resulted in low safety conditions for road users and a risk of fatalities and serious injuries in road accidents. To improve road safety along the Corridor X in North Macedonia, the EU allocated a € 345,000 technical assistance grant.

CONNECTA developed project documentation at the level of detailed design for approximately 140 km of EN-type guardrails along road Corridor X in MKD for further investment. This comprises the whole of Corridor X apart from the newly built section Demir Kapija - Smokvica (28 km) where guardrails of EN standards have already been installed.

The successfully completed assignment is expected to advance the tendering and eventually guardrail replacement and improved signage, leading to reduced number and severity of traffic accidents along Corridor X and an increased road safety perception by the users.

In detail, the CONNECTA team:
- Reviewed the national design standards of guardrails for adherence to EN standards;
- Developed a Digital Terrain Model;
- Prepared detailed design documentation including bill of quantities (BoQ) and budget and related documents;
- Proposed prioritisation of road sections for tendering.

The results achieved within the assignment provide for:
- Adoption, in practice, of EU guardrails standards (EN1317);
- Set of recommendations to improve signage along problematic high risk road sections;
- Design documentation (with BoQ and costs) for short term tendering of guardrail replacement;
- Up-to-date DTM along Road Corridor X for further use, as needed.

Additional information on the WBIF activities in North Macedonia can be found here.

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The Technical Assistance to Connectivity in the Western Balkans (CONNECTA) is an EU-funded technical assistance contract whose overall objective is to assist in the development and completion of the core transport and energy networks in the region as well as to support the Digital Agenda in line with the Western Balkans strategy COM(2018)65.

Additional information on CONNECTA’s assignment described here can be obtained by contacting Chris Germanacos, CONNECTA Team Leader, at [email protected].