Pillar number 4 of the six-seater K7 in Bjelasica needs additional rehabilitation and strengthening measures, stated the expert team hired to determine the condition of that facility.
This was unofficially told to "Vijestma" in the state enterprise Ski Resorts of Montenegro (SCG).
The K7 cable car was built by the state in order to connect the ski slopes of the state ski resort Kolašin 1600 and the private Kolašin 1450 into a unique offer. ski resorts in the immediate vicinity.
The proposed measures, which "Vijesti" had access to, were signed by the head of the Expert Team and the reporter for the field of construction, the reporter for the field of support and geotechnical construction, prof. Ph.D Mladen Ulićević, M.Sc Radivoje Mrdak, reporter for the field of geology and geotechnics Andrija Delibasic and M.Sc Zdravko Stijepović, reporter for the field of geodesy. They state that "the state of stability of the foundation of pillar no. 4 and the constructed supporting wall such that additional rehabilitation and strengthening measures are necessary".
The retaining wall was built by the company Ski resort Kolašin 1450 as a measure to rehabilitate the surrounding terrain of the pillar, which was ordered by the urban planning and construction inspection, which temporarily suspended work on private plots.
As an urgent measure, the expert team proposes the creation of projects for rehabilitation and strengthening of the supporting structures of the wall, the foundation and the terrain of the slope on which the pillar no. 4. They also assessed that "as an urgent measure, a project should be carried out to monitor the soil and buildings during construction and exploitation...". They suggested to the investor the implementation of the project review procedure, "if possible in parallel with their creation, after which the immediate execution of the designed works should be started."
Yesterday, "Vijesti" failed to get a comment on the findings of the expert team from the SCG Board of Directors, from which they allegedly requested that the experts check the condition of the pole and cable car in November. Previously, Chairman of the Board of Directors Miličko Bulatović he said that it was the unanimous decision of all members not to give statements about the condition of that facility.
The management of SCG did not previously answer questions related to that problem. Because of this, it is unclear when the cable car, which is an important part of the infrastructure and cost citizens about nine million euros, could be operational again.
As the court expert in the construction profession stated during November Goran Račić, column no. 4 of that cable car "is not safe for use without adequate measures to rehabilitate the surrounding terrain". The expert, which "Vijesti" wrote about, concluded that "the pillar experienced deformations that exceed the permissible values prescribed by the rules, in case the cable car is not in operation".
On December 22, right before the start of the ski season, the Ministry of Tourism told "Vijesta" that "the safety of tourists is a priority on which there must be no compromise".
"The Ministry of Tourism asked SCG to inform on a daily basis about the urgent repair of the retaining wall, which secures the damaged pillar of the state cable car K7, stressing that the safety of tourists is a priority on which there must be no compromise. It was ordered that that part of the cable car be shut down from use, until a decision is received from the competent authority on the complete safety of putting it into operation, to determine the reasons and circumstances under which the damage occurred, as well as possible responsibility for it," said the Ministries.
K7 was opened in February 2022. The six-seater, 1,5 kilometers long, with a capacity of 2.600 skiers per hour, enabled the connection of 40 kilometers of ski slopes in Bjelasica. In this way, the tourist offer on the mountain was unified for the first time, the sale of a unique ski pass, and Kolašin, as it was repeatedly repeated from official addresses, "became competitive with ski centers in the region".
The number of visitors to the state ski resort these days hints at a good tourist season, after the last one passed without a single ski day. However, visitors, at least for now, will not be able to use the combined offer of the two ski resorts. For now, the question of whether anyone will be held responsible for the fact that one of the key facilities of the ski infrastructure on Bjelasica, in the zenith of the tourist winter, is not in operation is also unanswered.
Yesterday, "Vijesti" failed to get a comment on the findings of the expert team from the SCG Board of Directors, from which they allegedly requested that the experts check the condition of the pole and cable car in November. Earlier, the president of the Board of Directors, Miličko Bulatović, said that it was the unanimous decision of all members not to make statements about the condition of that facility. The management of SCG did not previously answer questions related to that problem. Because of this, it is unclear when the cable car, which is an important part of the infrastructure and cost citizens about nine million euros, could be operational again.
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