OPINION

Fast highways, not a highway from Podgorica to the coast

There is no need to build a highway from Podgorica to Bar. On the coastal side, a fast highway from Boka Bay is more needed towards Podgorica than towards Bar. Two more lanes should be built along the highways towards Bar and Budva - Boka Bay. A new highway from Stanišić to Petrovac (between the two fast highways) would be a sufficient connection along the coast and connect Paštrovići with the surrounding area.

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Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

In Montenegro, the construction of a highway from Podgorica to Bar and a highway for high-speed traffic along the coast with a turn into the hinterland of Paštrovići towards Ljubotinje, then via Crmnica to Sozin, and the second branch from Ljubotinje towards Podgorica, is being announced at a high level.

The highway across Lake Skadar, through the National Park, is an unacceptable route because it critically disrupts the natural environment, transforming it into an environment dominated by a "large" construction project. The same or similar situation is with the route along the western edge of the lake (Rijeka Crnojevića, Ljubotinj and Crmnica).

Of capital importance for determining the road rank is the fact that the average traffic frequency along this route is about 10.000 vehicles per day. Current strategies do not plan to increase the population of the southeastern part of the coast, and Montenegro has already reached the average European level of motorization. The development of the Port of Bar to an optimal volume of transshipment of about 7 million tons/year, of which about 85% of the traffic would have to be related to the railway, would not raise the frequency above the minimum threshold for the profitability of the highway, which is 15.000 passages per day.

Regardless of the route - over or around the lake, the highway in this zone would have to have bridges and tunnels of considerable length, which significantly increases the cost of construction.

Through Crmnica, and possibly Ljubotinj, the highway would represent a barrier to communication between the surrounding settlements and would require a whole network of new roads to access the interchange, which would be many times larger in size (area) than any settlement in this region. The highway would make traffic in the local area more difficult than it would connect these settlements with the surrounding area.

In such a situation, the most logical solution is to build an additional two lanes along the existing highway to Sozina and a highway from Sozina to Bar. The crossing of the additional two lanes across the lake is possible on a structure in the width of the existing road and railway embankment and by expanding the bridge. An alternative would be a cassette along the bottom of the lake.

Route diagram on the embankment structure
Route diagram on the embankment structurephoto: D. Marković

From Đurman, Sozina on the coastal side, a highway (4 lanes) should be built at higher elevations (above the settlement) to Bar.

Road traffic flows from Podgorica to the coast branch into two equally frequent directions, on one side towards Bar and on the other towards Cetinje, Budva and Boka Bay. On the other hand, traffic from Boka Bay is predominantly directed towards Podgorica (and not towards Bar). Therefore, the road network in this direction should also be improved by adding two lanes to the existing highway and by building new sections of the expressway where cuts are necessary.

A fast highway can be obtained by building two lanes along the current highway from Farmak to Ulići, along a new route from Ulići to Vrelo, through the Vrelo (700m above sea level) - Lapčići (600m above sea level) tunnel, 4 km long, and then through the Budva "bypass" from Lapćići to Bratešići. (The tunnel would avoid the climb to Obzovica and the Brajića zone, which today constitute one of the riskiest - most dangerous, sections on the roads of Montenegro. and shortened the route by approximately 8 km).

For a coastal connection from Boka Bay (Bratešići) to Bar and Ulcinj, a highway from Stanišić via Paštrovići to Petrovac would be sufficient.

This road would easily connect the areas of Ceklin, Ljubotinje, Konak, Grbalj and Paštrovići.

It would be necessary to reliably check whether a highway from Grbalj (Bratešići) via Radovići (northern slope of Luštica) - Spilica - (seabed cassette) Zelenika is sufficient. But that is a separate topic.

Regional roads should be improved and/or existing local roads upgraded by zones. Such a road network would provide access to most of the Zeta plain and the coast in 30 minutes, which would open up new possibilities for development and spatial organization.

Expressway routes from the PG intersection (Farmaci and/or Golubovci) towards Boka and Bar and the route of the Stanišići - Petrovac highway
Expressway routes from the PG intersection (Farmaci and/or Golubovci) towards Boka and Bar and the route of the Stanišići - Petrovac highwayphoto: D. Marković

An important advantage of this planned road network is the possibility of phased implementation of sections of individual roads, each of which improves the flow of traffic in each direction. This means that it is not necessary to wait for the implementation of the entire road to overcome current problems. The dynamics of the implementation of individual sections on these two roads should be determined according to the importance of the problems they solve. For example, the route from Bratešić to Lapčić would mean a bypass of Budva and thus a faster connection of Boka with Podgorica; the Đurmani - Bar section would finally solve the "unbearable" seasonal congestion along the Bar Riviera.

STEGA, Editorial Office for Spatial Management Policy

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(Opinions and views published in the "Columns" section are not necessarily the views of the "Vijesti" editorial office.)