Machines on the road, dug canals, clouds of dust, pedestrians forced to walk on a rutted road, and only the occasional worker running across the road in front of slowing cars - these are the scenes that drivers encounter every day on the stretch of the Adriatic Highway, from Budva - the capital of Montenegrin tourism, or Jaz, to Tivat airport.
The reporters from “Vijesti” set off from Podgorica on Tuesday, June 10, after several citizens complained to them in the previous days that the 16-kilometer journey took them an hour or even two on weekends. The situation was different on weekdays, however, and the reporters traveled in both directions, without traffic jams, in 25 minutes.
However, those who constantly travel along the route where the works are being carried out warn that the reporters were "lucky", and that the situation is worse on weekends, but also on weekdays, and that the journey often takes more than an hour.
They warn that during the peak season, huge crowds will form and that this will affect the impression of Montenegro that many tourists will take home.
As he points out Jovan Bojanic, who is employed in Tivat, the "machinery scene" and workers on the sections and roundabout - "are an ugly image that tourists get of the coast, but also of Montenegro". This, he points out, could "cost this part of the Montenegrin coast".
"The road is very difficult and inconvenient to pass. Our cars are scratched, and sometimes there is more damage. It is inconvenient to give approximate dates for the completion of the works. Drivers have lost patience, so they are overtaking where they cannot and are not allowed to. It is a real chaos, both for the residents of nearby settlements and for tourists, because as soon as they leave the airport they see a mess," Bojanić told "Vijesti".
Dust, machinery on the road, and the works will last at least until next year. The reconstruction of the Adriatic Highway from Jaz to Tivat Airport into a boulevard is being carried out over a length of 16 kilometers. "Vijesti" previously announced that the value of the works exceeds 54 million euros excluding value added tax (VAT). The works officially began last January, and the contractor is the Chinese consortium Shandong Foreing Economic & Technical Cooperation Co. The main local manufacturer is the Podgorica construction company "Bemax". The Traffic Administration previously said that the boulevard will have two lanes in the direction of travel, sidewalks on both sides, and a two-meter-long median strip. A new pipeline of the Regional Water Supply will also be built along it, they said, and the boulevard will have 12 roundabouts and five three-way intersections...
LOVE, BUT ALSO THINKING
A Belgrade resident confirmed that the works are worrying tourists and visitors. Gordana Andjelic who emphasized that this was not her first vacation in Montenegro, but that she had previously been on a shorter vacation. The good impressions, as she noted, were spoiled by the reconstruction of the road, which, in her opinion, "is not progressing much."
"The season is starting, and that's a problem. I was lucky to travel for about 35 minutes today. I've heard stories from locals that sometimes it takes an hour, an hour and a half to travel. Although, I don't think the works will have much of an impact on the season. Many tourists didn't know about the works on the boulevard. That is, they didn't have that information. Those who know about it in advance may not even come. Although, those who have love or someone in Montenegro will accept everything. Those who have higher criteria will think about it...", said Andjelic.
The Tivat resident says the same thing. Petar with whom the journalist spoke at the very entrance to the Tivat airport. The complete project of reconstruction of the boulevard from Jaz to Tivat is, he says, very affirmative, but it should have been implemented in a different way.
"The sections of road that remain unpaved cause huge traffic jams, because people tend to drive slower on that part of the road, which is reasonable, because there is a risk of damaging the car. An even greater risk of damage to cars was when there were huge holes in the asphalt. Also, changes in the road and poorly regulated vehicle routing can catch drivers who are beginners or unfamiliar with the terrain unprepared, and there is a greater risk of accidents."
MECHANIZATION FROM THE SIDE, SOME WORKERS ON THE ROAD
A large number of machinery - excavators, tractors and trucks, as the "Vijesti" team noticed that day, were almost empty, and thus represented just another obstacle on the road. Only a few workers appeared sporadically along the entire section...
Driver Dalibor The journalist who spoke to the team said that "sometimes he doesn't even feel like going to work in another city when he sees that the work on the boulevard is progressing slowly."
"... And how long they actually last. You were lucky that there was no downtime today, which is almost an everyday occurrence. It's not nice that they promised to finish the work by May. Although, we kind of expected that, because they originally said that the new boulevard would only be renovated in two years."
Minister of Transport Maja Vukićević She previously said that she understood the dissatisfaction, but also said that everyone needed patience, because, as she stated, this was a large project, which she found with many problems upon taking office.
"The project encountered obstacles from the very beginning, there was no valid building permit, there was a six-month wait. What the Montenegrin public needs to know is that when the project was contracted, a two-year completion deadline was also agreed. The work began in January 2024 and the deadline is January 2026. We are trying to make that dynamic as good as possible...", she previously told "Vijesti".
TWO TO THREE EUROS PER KILOMETER TO THE CITY
Access to Tivat airport from both directions was very difficult for reporters - both due to works on the roundabout and the long queue of cars, buses, trucks...
At the very entrance, a real movie scene - a large group of taxi drivers "lure" tourists with the help of Google Translate and mimicry to choose them for transportation to the city.
There were the most Germans and Russians, and many of them did not want to talk because, as they repeatedly pointed out, the dust from the parking lot and the inarticulate noise. The English did not hide their bad mood that day, so they did not even pay attention to the reporters and the airport chatter. You could even hear the language of their neighbors from neighboring countries.
German Cabbage and his wife, as they told "Vijesti", are in Montenegro for the first time, and they couldn't help but notice the works and machinery "across the road".
"We had been traveling for several hours and were greeted by this sight. Luckily, we were staying in a hotel in the center of Tivat, far from everything. I've heard good things about Montenegro, we'll see how we'll have a good time," he said.
After warmly greeting the reporters, the taxi drivers began a persuasive race with offers - two or three euros per kilometer traveled to Tivat.
Representative of taxi drivers from the associations "Petica" and "Start" which are the only ones operating from Tivat airport Veselin Piper he said it was "an everyday sight here."
When asked why they were in a large group in front of the airport, Piper replied that it was due to "an inconvenient situation with roadworks."
"The approaches to the airport are very inaccessible. A boulevard to Budva is being built... So, the access road to the city is very congested and has many more vehicles than necessary."
As Piper points out, it is not clearly indicated where the entrance to Tivat is and where the airport is.
"... Nor where the exit is. Taxi prices have remained the same as in previous years - two euros per kilometer. Tourists usually look for routes to Kotor, Herceg Novi and Budva. There are also routes to other destinations, but there are much fewer than in previous years...".
IT'S THE BEGINNING OF JUNE, IT'S NOT "SO BAD"
Some of the tourists the reporters spoke to said that it was completely normal for the work to be ongoing. They jokingly said that there was no "magic wand" to speed it up.
Adam Arafa, originally from Germany, is in Montenegro for the first time, on the recommendation of a friend from Bosnia and Herzegovina who, he claims, has repeatedly suggested that he visit the Montenegrin coast.
"He said it was a very beautiful country, with wonderful beaches and cheap food. I've been to Tivat, Kotor and Budva. I've been here for ten days, but I'm going home soon."
He pointed out that he doesn't have a big problem with the road works, because "it's only the beginning of June, so it's not that bad."
"I decided to travel now, because it's better than if I had visited Tivat in August. I don't mind the construction work that much. I can't say for sure that it won't affect the tourist season, but I hope for the best. I plan to come again. I must admit that I came across some roads that were difficult to pass, but nothing unusual for these parts. Maybe the situation will be worse in the later summer months. You never know...".
Jan Mink and his girlfriend, also from Germany, are satisfied with the situation on the Montenegrin coast. The weather, they say, is very nice, which reduces the noise and "inaccessibility of the airport."
"We've been to Germany, Sweden, Italy... I came here thanks to my girlfriend. She was here last year and said it was nice. We see workers on the road, but it doesn't bother us too much. I don't think it will affect the season at all," he said.
Pejović: Show patience and understanding
The president of the Hoteliers' Association, Nikola Pejović, said that crowds on the coast are expected at the beginning of the season. He stressed that patience and understanding should be shown, and not "pushes guests forward."
"Thanks to these works, we expect a much more efficient traffic flow in this direction next season. This is a road that is congested even in ideal conditions, and now we are working to finally relieve it," he said.
In the summer, even before the start of the works, it took hours to get from Budva to Tivat and Kotor by car during peak season...
According to Pejović, quality infrastructure equates to "a better tourist season in the coming years."
"Similar situations are happening in much larger and more developed countries, so we hope that it will not affect the season in our country to any great extent."
Built for another time
The Adriatic Highway runs along the coast of the Adriatic Sea and is part of the European route E65 and was built about sixty years ago.
Two main roads from the main road lead to the Montenegrin interior, from Budva, via Cetinje to Podgorica, as well as from Sutomore, through the Sozina tunnel.
When the Adriatic Highway was built, there were significantly fewer cars, but more recently, especially during the season, it has become a very busy road.
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