Five weeks after the groundbreaking ceremony by Kosovo's acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and his associates, one of the two new bridges being built over the Ibar River - which divides South Mitrovica from North Mitrovica - has taken visible shape.
On August 4, workers and heavy machinery, including bulldozers, were seen continuing the work.
The incumbent government promises that the construction of the bridge will be completed by September.
This bridge, dedicated to vehicles, appears to be in the final stages of construction.
This was also confirmed by officials.
"Now we only have to concretize the slab and lay the asphalt layer," announced the acting Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, on August 3.
Until recently, the government led by Albin Kurti aimed to open the main bridge over the Ibar River.
On the day the cornerstone was laid, Kurti said that the new bridges aim to facilitate traffic and promote cooperation between citizens on both sides of the river.
On the same day, July 1, the foundation stone was laid for another bridge, which is expected to be smaller and for pedestrians only.
However, the works on this bridge have not progressed at the same pace as those on the one dedicated to traffic. The Government has promised that this bridge will also be finalized in September.
But the development of works for the new bridge construction project, worth around three million euros, has been accompanied by harsh political reactions and legal investigations.
The project has been placed under investigation by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office, due to suspicions of possible misuse of public funds in the process of concluding the contract with the relevant company.
On July 10, the Prosecution officially confirmed that it authorized the Kosovo Police to investigate the manner in which the contract for this project was concluded, but did not share any other information.
The bridges, one for vehicles and the other for pedestrians, are part of a public infrastructure project that aims to strengthen the connection between South and North Mitrovica, a city that has been ethnically divided since the war.
The project has also sparked reactions at the local level, especially from the Serb community in North Mitrovica.
The Serbian List has criticized the Government for "lack of consultation with local citizens."
This political entity organized a petition, which was signed by over 3,500 Serbian citizens of northern Kosovo municipalities.
The Deputy Mayor of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, Skender Sadiku, previously told REL that, although the project is necessary from an urban perspective, according to him, "the momentum was not right."
The main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica remains closed to traffic, despite being reconstructed years ago.
The revitalization was part of the dialogue agreement between Kosovo and Serbia mediated by the European Union and aimed to revitalize the bridge as a symbolic and practical step towards normalizing the situation in northern Mitrovica and free movement.
Even today, a vehicle with members of the Italian Carabinieri stands constantly on the bridge.
Since the end of the war in 1999, Mitrovica has faced deep ethnic tensions and divisions between the Albanian community in the south and the Serbian community in the north.
Most of the infrastructural interventions that affected ethnically divided or mixed areas have fueled tensions in both the south and the north. REL
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