Construction works on the priority section of the Bar-Boljara car park from Smokovac to Mataševo are coming to an end and should be fully completed by the end of November.
This was announced today by the Minister of Capital Investments (MKI) Mladen Bojanić, who together with the Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović and representatives of CRBC, Monteput, subcontractors and the media visited the works.
He could not specify when the highway will be opened for traffic, because it depends, as he stated, on the technical commission.
"It is up to us to complete its construction... There remains the second part, which refers to technical documentation, technical acceptance, some things about the tetra system of installations. All of this is something that is very close. As for this ministry, it has always been the priority is for the works to be of the highest quality, to have a sustainable and safe highway, but the deadlines are of course important. I would not prejudge because of the delay, we found that the highway with the deadlines has been delayed for two years and a month sooner or later does not mean as much to us as to get safe highway," said Bojanic.
As for the construction of other sections of the highway, Bojanic said that the Government has taken certain steps and that they are aware that the section from Smokovac to Mataševo does not mean much and has a limited effect.
He added that the toll on this section will cost between 3 and 3,5 euros and that it will be very difficult to pay off the highway that way.
"The financial effect of the toll will not be satisfactory, but it will partly help us to pay off the highway and to maintain it. The economic benefits of the highway must be viewed more broadly, not only for this part, but for the entire highway. Economic studies are being done estimates and conceptual projects for the second section from Mataševo to Andrijevica and from Andrijevica to Boljar. It is about 70 kilometers with those two sections and some rough estimates are that it is 850 million euros of the value of those projects. We need another investment of this size to reach to the border, with the fact that the works are less demanding, but the section is longer," Bojanić said.
He added that they have a limited budget for that project, but that they are thinking of securing the money through concessions or through the foreseen Fund for Financing Infrastructure and Energy from the European Investment Plan.
Abazović said that all the controversies that followed the highway were not the result of the work of this Government and the MKI.
"We from the Government and everyone else must continuously monitor the project and do everything to ensure that the aspects of ecology, construction works, economy and connecting the north generate great economic development in Montenegro," said Abazović.
On the section of the highway, on the Moračica bridge, the engineers said that this bridge is one of the ten most demanding to build in the world.
They stated that the height of the pillars is up to 200 meters from the Morača River, and that it is the third highest bridge in Europe in terms of height from the water flow.
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