At least three years until the start of construction of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway

The Ministry of Spatial Planning has issued urban planning and technical conditions to the Monteput company for the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, and there are still five steps left until the first shovel is thrown - approval of the conceptual design, preparation of the main design, revision of the main design, selection of the contractor and supervision, building permit and finally the start of work.

An interlocutor of "Vijesti" from this area says that all the prerequisites for selecting a contractor could last two to three years, if there were no surprises and problems, and that the procedure could be accelerated if the main project contractor and the builder themselves were sought through the same tender. He said that it would be difficult to wait less than three years until the very beginning of the works, and that this could also be accelerated if the contractor were not selected through a tender but through intergovernmental contracts, as with the first section.

In the urban planning conditions and in the responses of several institutions to them, it is emphasized that when preparing the project documentation, special attention should be paid to the protection of cultural assets near which the route passes, the water sources of Prijestinica, as well as the main water supply pipeline for Cetinje, whose current position partially coincides with the future highway.

The Adriatic-Ionian route is an international transit route connecting Central Europe with Greece, via Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. It has been completed from Central Europe to Čapljina in BiH, and the two entity authorities are currently preparing documentation for two routes from Čapljina to the border with Montenegro. The authorities of BiH and Montenegro had previously agreed that the meeting point would be the town of Nudo in the border zone near Grahovo.

The Montenegrin part of the Adriatic-Ionian Road, according to the recently adopted Spatial Plan, is divided into three sections. The first is Nudo - Grahovo (with an interchange for connection to the Vilusi - Risan road) - Čevo (where an interchange is planned for connection to the Cetinje - Nikšić and Čevo - Danilovgrad roads), and from Čevo it goes to the area of ​​the village of Gradac in the Lješanska nahija (near the main road Podgorica - Cetnje) where an interchange and connection to the Bar - Boljare highway are planned.

The second section is Gradac - Zaljevo near Bar, so that the route bypasses the Crnojevića River, Skadar Lake, passes through part of Crmnica, exits through a new tunnel near Đurman, and bypasses Bar to Zaljevo. This section is the same as for the Bar - Boljare highway.

The third section is from Zaljevo, bypassing Ulcinj, and crossing into Albania near Sukobin. This section has only now been added to the Postorna Plan, it was previously planned that the section of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway would continue from the interchange at Smokovac, bypassing Tuzi and towards Shkodra.

Urban-technical conditions provide the opportunity to assess construction priorities and phased construction by sections. The width of the corridor through which this highway will pass is from 600 to a thousand meters, and the exact route will be known only after the development of the main project.

The corridor passes through several cadastral municipalities (KO) and they are listed in the document in order from the border with BiH to Albania - Nudo, Bijela Gora, Grahovo, Krivošije Gornje, Ledenice Gornje, Ledenice Donje, Orahovac ll, Bata, Grab, Resna, Prediš, Đinovići, Štitari, Meterizi, Rijeka Crnojevića, Ceklin, Ljubotinj I, Ljubotinj ll, Orasi, Progonovići, Trnovo, Komarno, Popratnice, Braceni, Dupilo, Orahovo, Sotonići, Boljevići, Gluhi Do, Limljani, Tuđemili, Zupci, Šušanj, Stari Bar, Novi Bar, Turčini, Bartula, Tomba, Zaljevo, Dobra Voda, Pečurice, Velje Selo, Dabezići, Pelinkovići, Leskovac, Krute VIadimirske, Klezna, Vladimir, Šas, Brajša, Lisna Bori, Sukobin and Kravari.

"Traffic design solutions must be spatially, environmentally, sociologically and technically acceptable. In the case of pronounced spatial limitations, the corridor for designing a road may be narrowed (passing through settlements, etc.), or in the case of natural limitations, expanded as necessary, in order to avoid spatial conflicts and overcome the aforementioned limitations. When preparing technical documentation, it is necessary to first conduct an archaeological reconnaissance of the route so that future roads are sufficiently distant from cultural assets, assets with potential cultural values ​​and archaeological sites so as not to endanger the recognized values," the document states.

The speed on this highway is projected to be up to 120 kilometers per hour, with the possibility of up to 100 kilometers per hour on some sections.

Many cultural assets on the route or in its surroundings

The Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage submitted its opinions to the Ministry, which became part of the urban planning and technical conditions.

"Upon reviewing the submitted draft document of the Spatial Plan of Montenegro until 2040, plan map 21 - Traffic infrastructure, and further reviewing the documentation of the Administration, it was determined that the project in question, according to the submitted draft, may include a larger number of cultural assets, as well as assets with potential cultural values. It should also be noted that due to insufficient data on clear cadastral plots of the planned highway, it is not possible to determine whether and to what extent the borders of cultural assets and their protected environment are affected," the Administration stated.

They submitted a list of cultural properties and properties with potential cultural values ​​that they believe are on or near the route. These are the protected cultural properties of the Church of St. Nicholas Grahovo, the Monastery of Orahovo, the Old Town of Bar with its čaršija and suburbs, the Memorial Plaque to the members of the NOR, the Monument to the Fallen Montenegrins in the Fight against the Turks, the Memorial Plaque on the Šlaković Building, the Memorial Plaque to the Shot Patriots Belvedere, the Memorial Plaque to the Seven Fallen Fighters Vladimir, and the medieval town of Svač.

Properties with potential cultural value are the Strekanica Memorial Plaque in Grahovo, the Necropolis under the mounds in the Petković neighborhood and the stećanja tumulus in Grahovo, and the Memorial Plaque to Ivo Nikić in Limljani, Bar.

They indicate that other cultural and historical assets are also located in the route corridor: Austro-Hungarian wells Jankov vrh - East Fortress, Krivošije Unter Fortress, Kotor Monument for fallen fighters, Obodska pećina, Church of the Nativity Trnovo, Sutorman Fortress, Lubija Tower, Vijet Tower, Monument of the Battle of Tuđemil, Ribnjak Monastery, Stara Maslina site, mosque in Krute, mosque in Sukobin and mosque in Selite.

"Given the proximity and possible impact of the aforementioned cultural assets or their protected environment on the highway in question, all activities must be planned in accordance with the recommendations of archaeologists involved in all phases of the development and implementation of the project in question, i.e. in accordance with the methodology of archaeological research," the Administration stated.

They also point out that the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property prescribes obligations if an accidental discovery is made during the execution of works - finds of archaeological significance that may be on this route, but also that due to insufficient data on specific cadastral plots of the planned road, guidelines or conservation conditions cannot be issued until the precise route of the planned highway is determined through the development of project documentation.