Croatia plans to complete its highway network by connecting the Adriatic city of Dubrovnik, located in the southernmost part of the country, with the city of Metković, which borders Bosnia, with a highway, Croatian national television HRT reported.
This will be Croatia's most expensive highway, with an expected cost of 1.2 billion euros, the television noted.
The length of the new highway will be 47 kilometers and about 15 kilometers of connecting roads. The highway will be built in two phases. The project envisages it passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina (above the Bosnian town of Neum on the Adriatic Sea). Until the two sides reach a final agreement on the plans, an expressway and the Pelesac Bridge will be used.
The most optimistic forecasts are that construction of the highway will begin this year and be completed in 2029.
The start of work depends on the completion of public procurement and the receipt of various permits. The biggest problem that the construction of the highway aims to solve is the lack of a highway from Dubrovnik to the airport and to the border with Montenegro.
The highway will be built on difficult terrain and will pass through a very narrow area, Croatian television explains.
“This is a terrain that is practically the most unfavorable for building highways, numerous viaducts, bridges and tunnels will be needed, and it is also an area that is quite populated, so it will be important how many intersections there will be and what connections will be available to ensure the full functionality of the road“, Prof. Dr. Marko Ševrović from the Faculty of Road Sciences at the University of Zagreb told HRT.