There seems to be a way from Skopje along the Treska valley to Makedonski Brod. At the map at http://www.roads.org.mk/images/MK%20KARTA%20golema.jpg it is marked as 104 which seems to make it a регионална патишта. In a printed map of the Republik of Macedonia from GiziMap, Budapest this road also exists but it ends shortly before crossing the Treska after Nova Breznica. In yet another map (by Falk Verlag, Germany basically covering the whole of former Yugoslavia as well as Albania) the road is included completely but there are two red bars at Nova Breznica and Rastes. It’s not really explained what they mean.
Expressing my idea of going there and finding out I got the whole neighborhood in uproar (I’m currently in Skopje). They either predicted I get locked away by the Military or abducted by OVK. But nobody can really tell me if that road exists completely and if yes, if it is really blocked and why it is blocked.
Does any of you have some more information on that road. BTW, it should actually by a quite scenic trip judging from the map.
This reminds me that in July 2004 I tried to use exactly that road to travel from Skopje via Makedonski Brod to Krusevo. Indeed, as far as we got, it was a beautiful and scenic small paved road through the mountains east of Treska. But then, roughly 1 hour drive after Nova Breznica, we suddenly saw a big lake down in the valley that was not on our maps and a bit further down, we were stopped at some military camp, being told that the road is closed because of a new artificial lake that was just about being put into operation at that time. So, we had no other choice than to backtrack and use the “normal” road via Veles, Pletvar, Prilep
So far, I have not yet come across any (printed) road map that shows the new situation with the lake (but I admit that I have not rechecked lately). I have been told though, that they are building a new north-south road along the Treska lake now. So, me too, I would be very interested to find out about what happens there and if resp. when resp. where exactly the new road will be built. I hope that our Macedonian friends can tell us more…
Yes, road R104 was covered with water from the new lake (Kozjak lake) formed by the Kozjak dam (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/17448017). This is quite major dam for MK and significant for electricity production. After local protests, MK govermentd vouched to build new road (2005) for the local population. The new road should have been built by know as it was reportedly stared.
