The Thumana-Kashar highway was opened for traffic on Sunday at 19:00 after a special ceremony attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama and other government officials.

The new highway is the first segment of the Blue Corridor in Albania, a major infrastructure segment.

Also known as Adriatic–Ionian motorway, the Blue Corridor is planned to be built to full motorway standards. It will start in Trieste, Italy, pass through Slovenia, enter Croatia near Rijeka, and continue through Croatia as part of the A1 motorway. The road will be connected to Montenegro through Croatia via Peljesac Bridge. Passing Ulqin, the motorway will enter Albania south of Lake Shkodër, and continue south, passing Shkodër, Tirana, Rrogozhinë, Fier, and Gjirokastër. Exiting Albania, the motorway will follow the A5 Motorway in Greece, ending at Kalamata.

Presenting the opening of the Thumana-Kashar highway, Rama emphasized that this is a road segment that serves everyone as well as the further development of tourism.

Thumana-Kashar is the segment of category A, where the allowed maximum speed will be 130 kilometers per hour, also offering high safety conditions.

The flow of vehicles on this axis is expected to be very high, especially during the tourist season, while its operation is expected to significantly ease the vehicle traffic that is often created on the existing axes, such as Fushë Krujë-Rinas and Rinas-Qafë Kashar.

Meanwhile, all vehicle drivers will have the right to choose roads with a speed of over 130 kilometers per hour with payment of a minimum of Euro 2.1 euro, or secondary roads which will be available without any kind of payment.