Second Skopje bypass highway to be put into operation

The second Skopje bypass highway from Orizari to Saraj section at length of 11,8 kilometres will be put into operation Thursday.
PM Nikola Gruevski will attend the opening ceremony, his Cabinet told.
Entire length of the highway is 26,5 km with two lines, which passes under south slopes of Skopska Crna Gora and villages of Stajkovci, Smilkovcki, Brnjanci and Kuceviska Bara.
The complete bypass starts at the "Hipodrom" loop where it branches off from the Veles-Skopje highway, and its northern section ends near Orizari.
This western half starts North of Suto Orizari. Leading westwards, the route passes the Konjski Rid hill lying to the South and continues West crossing the Stenkovec loop (junction to Pristina), followed by the Lepenec River. Here, the road bends slightly northwards, running through the agricultural region of Gornopal, where it eventually curves to the South, passing the residential area of Vucidol. The route continues southwards winding through a hilly landscape. At Kondovo, it connects to the Skopje-Tetovo Highway.
The designed bypass will be a four-lane highway with a maximum vehicle speed of 120 km/h. The Skopje Bypass is part of Corridor VIII.
The Fund for National and Regional Roads of Macedonia (FNRR) is the investor of this project and is financed by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which granted a loan to Macedonia with 7-year grace period and 18 years repayment period. The value of the entire bypass is Euro 135 million.