Intersections One of the main streets of the former Blloku was blocked on Friday to make way for the works of the Tirana Municipality's rehabilitation project, which envisages its return to a restricted traffic area.1
"Vaso Pasha" Street was blocked this morning from the intersection with "Brigada e VIII" Street to the intersection with "Ismail Qemali" Street. Secondary streets such as "Pjetër Bogdani" Street were also closed.
The works began without clear public notice and are expected to last at least 6 months. Local citizens and businesses faced heavy traffic and were forced to move their cars, some of which had flyers posted announcing the construction site.
The area is home to dozens of offices, shops, residential areas, and Kindergarten No. 31 that rely on daily traffic from this axis.
What does the project envisage?
The works are being carried out by the companies Ndregjoni shpk and Rafin Company, winners of the public tender that opened in June.
It was won for a value of around 2 million euros in a competition where there were 18 bids, but all were disqualified for lack of documentation, failure to meet criteria or bids. "abnormally low". The process was not appealed by the competitors, although their complete exclusion raises questions.
Read: The exception became the norm, the towers in the former block break the criteria of the Urban Plan
The project pledges to put pedestrians at the center and, to this end, foresees the removal of parking lanes, the widening of sidewalks, and the narrowing of streets, which will be paved with red or gray recycled asphalt.
It takes the elements used from the rehabilitation of "Zogi I Boulevard" or "Skënderbej Square" and reuses them to continue the same circulation idea with spaces dedicated to pedestrians.
Former Block, an area of extreme urban congestion
The former Blloku area has experienced a new wave of construction with 8 to 14-story towers. As Citizens.al has previously documented in the column Tirana Vertical, this area is losing public spaces and is turning into a "vertical dormitory".
Recent interventions make movement even more difficult, especially for residents and existing businesses.
Despite this, authorities are pursuing a plan to transform it into a square with limited traffic and widened sidewalks.
Read: Map of towers: How the government is brutally rewriting Tirana
The idea was promoted by Prime Minister Edi Rama himself in various television appearances until it was made public in February 2025 at an event held in the premises of the former villa of dictator Enver Hoxha.
While tower construction increases at a rapid pace, projects for roads and sidewalks remain isolated and unclear.
There is no integrated plan for circulation, public transport or access for residents. They are rarely informed or involved in decision-making about urban changes that directly affect them.
Thus, development in the former Bloc is moving in two directions: intensive construction and "improvements" isolated ones that do not respond to the new density.
- Update! After complaints from entrepreneurs, financial authorities and residents of the area, the construction site was withdrawn on Saturday, completely opening up traffic. According to a video commentary on Facebook by MP Erion Braçe, the road closure was “hasty” and “without notice.” He said that he had been in contact with the Municipality of Tirana to find a way or work plan with a lower impact on residents, adding that the project is being reviewed for this. ↩︎
Erblin Vukaj has completed his studies in “Communication Sciences” and further mastered (MSc) in “European and International Journalism” at the University of Tirana. Since 2012, Vukaj has been working as a professional journalist, gaining experience in online media, print media, radio and television. He has covered various issues such as current affairs, health, environment and sports. In parallel, he has led and been involved in several research projects on the communist past in Albania.
