Construction of the new 17-kilometre Bijeljina–Brčko motorway section will begin on June 12, marking the continuation of one of the most important infrastructure projects in Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The section forms part of the future transport corridor intended to connect Belgrade, Bijeljina, Brčko, Banja Luka and Sarajevo.
The construction contract was signed at the end of last year with the Chinese company China Overseas, while the value of the project amounts to 274 million KM excluding VAT.
Sixth major Chinese infrastructure project
The Bijeljina–Brčko section represents the sixth major infrastructure project in Republika Srpska being implemented by Chinese companies.
According to the previously presented design, the motorway will feature two carriageways separated by a median strip, an interchange with a toll station in the Brčko District area, and an interchange in the Bijeljina settlement of Ljeljenča, which will provide a connection to the future Bijeljina–Sokolac expressway.
At the end of December, a financing agreement was also signed for the construction of the Vukosavlje–Brčko motorway section, valued at approximately 650 million KM.
The combined value of contracts for these two sections exceeds one billion KM.
Part of the future Belgrade–Banja Luka connection
When it comes to the future motorway linking Belgrade and Banja Luka, three sections in the northern part of Republika Srpska are currently considered the most important:
- Vukosavlje–Brčko, 31.5 kilometres long, with construction expected to begin soon;
- Brčko–Bijeljina, 17 kilometres long;
- Rača–Bijeljina, 20 kilometres long, already in an advanced stage of construction.
At the same time, Serbia is building the Kuzmin–Rača section, gradually completing the motorway corridor between Belgrade and Banja Luka.
112 kilometres of motorways under development
Acting Director of Motorways of Republika Srpska, Radovan Višković, stated on June 8 that a total of 112 kilometres of new motorways are currently in various stages of implementation.
“When it comes to motorways, we have entered an impressive investment cycle. We are currently implementing another 112 kilometres of motorway infrastructure. There are also express roads, project documentation for the route from Trebinje towards Gacko and further to Višegrad, the 40-kilometre Prijedor–Banja Luka section, the Banja Luka bypass, and the motorway towards Mrkonjić Grad,” Višković said during an appearance on RTRS Morning Programme.
Speaking about the motorway connection with Belgrade, he emphasized that the strategic objective is to connect Belgrade, Bijeljina, Brčko, Banja Luka and Prijedor through a modern motorway network.
Source: Glas Srpske
