Project of Demir Kapija - Smokvica in Macedonia: visit to an impressive construction site!

The construction of the new highway section Demir Kapija – Smokvica is part of the Pan-European Corridor X. This section is included in the Regional Development Programme financed by IPA (Pre-Accession Instruments).

This large project was the subject of a separate approval from the European Commission.  This is a complex project of more than 28 km in length, and of total value exceeding 210 million euros. The project construction was awarded to Aktor, a Greek Contractor of Works. The project was launched in July of 2012, and it is bound to end in October of 2017.

A difficult project

The construction of Corridor X represents a large project at the scale of the large projects known in the past in France. Demir Kapija –Smokvica section is a challenge itself, due to its complexity in terms of geology and geotechnics, with numerous tunnels, viaducts, high embankments and large cuts.

This four-year project (plus 2 years of guarantee period) was carried out by a Greek Contractor of Works, having an international reputation for its expertise and by a quality supervision team:

• An international consortium of two international engineering companies, French and Italian,
• International supervision team formed of about thirty people (49 people at peak period), led by a Bulgarian team leader, and numerous local experts,
• A multidisciplinary coordination of quality,
• A true transfer of competences between the international and local experts.

A significant mission for Egis

Egis, the leader of supervision consortium (« the leading partner »), faced the challenge by a quality mobilization:

• An Egis team coming from different subsidiaries of Egis (Egis International Macedonia, Egis Bulgaria, Egis International, Egis Serbia),
• An important mobilization (30 Egis engineers for the 3 year period),
• One team with a recognized expertise at technical level (geotechnics, concrete, drainage, etc.), as well as in contract management and procurement of works,
• A strong Project management who anticipated the difficulties and proposed adapted solutions, protecting the interests of the project and the client.

Egis, the leading actor in the infrastructure project on the Balkans

For more than 20 years, Egis has been a major player in the area of infrastructure, having carried out many projects, the majority of which were projects of transport infrastructure. Until now, in IPA Beneficiary Countries (Pre-Accession Instruments), Egis has successfully terminated more than 120 projects in the following areas of expertize: technical assistance to local and national authorities, preparation of documentation for tenders, design/engineering studies, works supervision, institutional strengthening, advising on restructuring of society, training, etc.

Egis is familiar with local legislation and local standards, techniques and procedures in the countries of the Balkans area.