Croatia's plans to continue the construction of the highway from Split to Dubrovnik are known to official Podgorica, but the point of contact has not yet been agreed.
After it was announced that Croatia would build a highway from Split to Dubrovnik, the question arose: will this road be connected to the so-called Adriatic-Ionian Corridor in neighboring countries? And this issue is also very important for Montenegro.
In Podgorica, they say they have been informed about the idea of Zagreb, but they do not say where the point of connection of the Croatian highway with Montenegro will be, which is also important for all those traveling from the West to other countries. Montenegro is preparing to build the second part of the Bar-Boljare highway, along the Montenegrin coast, as well as a highway to Albania.
Although official Podgorica has been informed of Croatia's plans to continue building the highway from Split to Dubrovnik, it is still not known where this road will connect with those in Montenegro.
"Activities are underway to harmonize the connection point with Croatia. We are preparing a project for a high-speed road through the Bay of Kotor, which will connect with Croatia," said the Montenegrin state-owned company Monteput, adding that they are also preparing documentation for a highway to the border with Albania. The highway connection points will be coordinated with Zagreb and Tirana.
Roads to Albania
The spatial plan for 2040 includes a high-speed road to the border with Croatia, as well as a highway to the border with Albania.
The expressway along the Montenegrin coast, which runs from the border with Croatia, connects to the Bar - Boljare highway in the wider Gragjan area. "A highway is planned from the Sozina tunnel to the border with Albania, and after drafting conceptual projects, the implementation of which is underway, these corridors will be included in the new Spatial Plan of Montenegro, which is in the process of approval and will be valid until 2040," Monteput announced.
The aim is for both roads to capitalize on Montenegro's tourism potential and solve the long-standing problem of congestion on the Montenegrin coast. "This road, together with the Bar - Boljare highway, is a priority for construction. Minister of Transport Maja Vukicevic met with Albanian Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Baluku, where this was one of the topics," the Ministry of Transport told DW.
Tender for road construction
After a year, the preliminary tender for the construction of the second section of the Bar Boljare highway (Mateshevo - Andrijevica) was canceled and a new one was announced.
"This is a tender that will allow the participation of all bidders, including those who participated in the previous process," Monteput told DW. A new tender has been unofficially requested by the European Union Delegation in Podgorica and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), unhappy that no European company responded to the process.
Officially, Monteput and the Government say that the new tender is the result of an agreement to "enable all interested companies to apply, not just those who applied in the preliminary phase". The second reason is that part of the itinerary has been changed in the meantime.
Map showing the territories of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania where the roads should crossMap showing the territories of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania where the roads should cross
The road should pass from Croatia to Albania
The European Union Ambassador to Podgorica, Johan Sattler, asked by TV Vijesti if they expect any European companies to apply for the new tender, said that the decision is in the hands of the companies, but they hope so.
Tenders and competition
"We think it's a good thing to have as much competition as possible so you can get the best possible deals and the most technologically advanced solutions," Satler said.
Companies from Turkey, Azerbaijan and China applied for the preliminary tender for the construction of the second section, including CRBC, the company that built the first section of the Smokovac-Mateshevo highway. Early last year, the European Commission announced that it would participate in the construction of this section of the road with a grant of 100 million euros, while the EBRD with a soft loan of 200 million euros.
The Mateshevë-Andrijevica section of the road is about 22 kilometers long, which is close to 14 percent of the total length of the Tivar-Boljare highway. The signing of the design and construction contract was planned for the first half of 2025, while the completion of the works is expected in 2030. Monteput claims that it is doing everything to meet the planned deadlines./ DW (A2 Televizion)
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