Skopje is getting something it has never had - an underground road. Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski announced that in the next ten or so days the second phase of the project begins: the construction of the tunnels connecting to the underground boulevard "Makedonija" beneath the "Limak" complex, running from Centar toward Kisela Voda.

The project, the city says, is a capital one and of exceptional importance for Skopje's traffic. The idea is clear: to relieve the eternally jammed center, to allow faster and safer movement, and to reduce the pressure on the central streets. The first phase, they say, is already complete - the streets that will receive the increased traffic have been widened and adapted.

For a city like Skopje, where gridlock in the center has been daily life for years, such a project sounds like a long-awaited solution. And maybe it is. But Skopjans already know the rhythm of the city's capital projects - the announcement arrives with great fanfare, the deadlines are optimistic, and reality is often longer and more expensive than promised.

That is why it is worth keeping a healthy dose of skepticism, without denying that the city genuinely needs better infrastructure. The questions are standard but necessary: how much does the project cost, what is the deadline, and will "the next ten or so days" stay ten days or turn into months. The underground boulevard will be a success only when the first cars pass through it - not when it is announced on television. Until then, Skopje waits, as usual, in a traffic jam.