Road Building

With the slow approach of spring the municipality seems to have been seized by a fit of road construction. Rruga Deshmorit e 4 Shkurtit, which until recently looked like a country lane, now sports a fine new layer of tarmac, while the pavements have been nicely reconstructed. Over on Rruga Abdyl Frasheri more pavement construction is going on.

Rruga Elbasanit, possibly the worst road in the city, also boasts some fresh tarmac but remains far from finished. If only they paint some lines and introduce the concept of driving in lanes it might even be possible to get more than 500 yards on this road in less than an hour.

Our own fine street is showing signs of progress. After two months of neglect, during which the road reverted to an even worse condition than before, the crew have returned and have been tidying up the accumulated garbage and rollering the surface. Friday's highlight was a burst tyre on the roller which popped with a sound like a small explosion and drew a crowd who observed the slowly listing vehicle. Yesterday, new piles of gravel arrived ready to be spread. We are not holding our breath, but we are hoping that this time we might even see some tarmac ourselves.

I realise that roadworks may not be the most riveting subject for a post, but when you live in a city with roads like Tirana, good roads are a real cause for celebration.