The contractor on the first section of the highway has initiated the procedure for approval of the extension of the construction deadline, due to force majeure caused by the coronavirus pandemic, announced Prime Minister Duško Marković and reiterated that the project could be completed in the first half of next year.
"We will inform the parliament and deputies and the entire public about the outcome of that decision as soon as the procedure is finished." The encouraging information is that the works on the section from Smokovac to Mateševo are being implemented at a good pace," said Marković in parliament, answering a question from independent MP Aleksandar Damjanović.
Marković said that every postponement of the deadline approved so far was in accordance with the real circumstances.
"There is no place for dramatic predictions when the question is the highway." At this moment, the most important thing is that the construction sites have not been stopped and that there are no indications that this could happen. Both from the Podgorica and Kolašina sides and along the entire route, works are progressing, and the highway is taking on clearer outlines and contours," said Marković.
Related Articles
He said that the delay in construction, for the project of the century such as the first Montenegrin highway, is inevitable but still a small price for the corona crisis.
Damjanović was interested in the reasons for the already very serious delay in the implementation of the highway project and when it will be completed, bearing in mind that the original completion date was in May last year.
He said that he noticed that Marković, in some of his earlier presentations, sees the pandemic as a reason for delaying the project or slowing down the dynamics of investments.
"The fact that 500 or 600 workers did not come from China cannot be the reason for the delay, but there are some reasons that also affect us," Damjanović believes.
He said that, counting the construction time of the first section and a few more years for the next section, the construction of about a hundred kilometers of highway could take ten years.
"Something is problematic here, and I want to hear whether the Government and you personally undertake activities and measures to identify responsibility for the delay," added Damjanović.
Marković reiterated that the completion of the highway is a development priority of Montenegro and an imperative for the overall progress of the country.
"We will not allow that priority to be called into question," said Marković.
He reminded that the construction of the priority section began on May 11, 2015, with the agreed implementation period of four years, which was extended until September 30 of this year.
"This date is currently in accordance with the design and construction contract and has not been extended for the time being in the contractual procedure," said Marković.
He said that 87 percent of the works have been completed so far, and that in this sense, the assessment of a serious delay is, to say the least, exaggerated and premature.
"Kilometers of highways in Montenegro are a reality visible to all of us. Unforeseen circumstances also occur on much less demanding construction projects, but not on such a complex one. It would be illusory to expect a project of this size and importance to remain immune to global disruptions such as the coronavirus pandemic," said Marković.
He announced that working conditions on construction sites and highway sections at all levels have been difficult for two full months.
"The causes are the suspension of international traffic, the difficult functioning of the supply chain, reduced labor mobility. It's not just the lack of workers from the Chinese company, but also the impossibility of securing other workers from contractors, including local subcontractors," concluded Marković.
Bonus video:
