 | |
|---|---|
| Rruga shtetërore SH1 | |
 Map of the Rruga Shtetërore 1 (SH1) mainline denoted in blue in Albania | |
| Route information | |
| Part of | |
| Maintained by theAutoriteti Rrugor Shqiptar | |
| Length | 125 km (78 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  Han i Hotit |
| South end |  Tirana |
| Location | |
| Country | Albania |
| Counties | |
| Major cities | |
| Highway system | |
Thenational road SH1 (Albanian:Rruga Shtetërore 1) is a national highway inAlbania. It has a length of 125 kilometres (78 mi) across thecounties ofDurrës,Lezhë,Shkodër andTirana.
As part of theEuropean routesE762 andE851, the highway constitute portion of a largercorridor connectingMontenegro in the northwest withTirana in the southwest thus forming as well as part of theAdriatic-Ionian motorway.[1][2][3][4][5]
In recent years, the road has been undergoing major reconstruction works in several parts.
Tha National Road SH1 leads to the Albanian-Montenegrin border atHani i Hotitborder crossing. FromTirana at the Kamza Bypass (Albanian: Mbikalimi i Kamzës) northward, it passes throughFushë-Krujë,Milot,Lezhë,Shkodër, and Koplik. Between Thumane and Milot, the SH1 became part ofA1 Motorway.
The road segment betweenHan i Hotit andShkodër (about 32.5 km (20.2 mi)) was completed in 2013 as a single carriageway standard (Albanian: superstradë). TheShkodër Bypass started after the 2010 floods. It was planned to incorporate a defensive dam againstLake Shkodër, but works were abandoned a few years later only to restart in 2017. The road continues as a single carriageway down to Milot and contains some uncontrolled and dangerous entry and exit points.
It is planned that sections between Milot and Lezhë will be widened to dual carriageway standard in the near future.
When it was designed in early 2000s, the entire road between Tirana and Shkodër was intended to be a dual carriageway. However, the lack of funding at the time only allowed for one carriageway to be constructed, thus the lack of shoulders. The section betweenMilot andFushë-Krujë was unofficially named as the "Road of Death" by many media reports for its structural deficiencies. As of 2009, the 25 kilometres (16 mi) dangerous long section is being upgraded to motorway standard and has become part of theA1 motorway connecting the capitalTirana withKosovo.
Media related toRruga Shtetërore 1 at Wikimedia Commons
