The president of the SNSD, Milorad Dodik, announced this week that construction of the motorway from Mrkonjic Grad towards Banja Luka could begin next year, which would finally launch one of the longest-announced infrastructure projects in the region.
“It will probably start next year; it only remains for some issues related to urban planning to be resolved at the assembly,” Dodik said.
Although this was not explicitly stated, it concerns a section that represents part of a much broader project: the Banja Luka-Split motorway, which has been discussed for more than a decade.
A 186-kilometre motorway: more than half through the Republika Srpska (RS)
The planned Banja Luka-Split motorway would have a total length of about 186 kilometres. According to earlier project documents, 99 kilometres would pass through RS; around 65 kilometres through the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH); approximately 22 kilometres through the territory of Croatia, to the Caporice interchange.
The section whose construction Dodik has now announced refers to the Banja Luka-Mrkonjic Grad route, which is about half of the Banja Luka-Mlinista motorway, as the entire section through the RS is called, and which is practically the backbone of the entire road.
In May of this year, the Government of the RS adopted a Decision on the preparation of a parcelization plan for the Banja Luka South-Mrkonjic Grad section, about 44 kilometres long, thereby bringing the project into a more concrete phase for the first time in a long while.
The plan is being prepared on the basis of the conceptual route design Glamocani-Banja Luka-Mrkonjic Grad-Glamoc-Livno-Croatian border, which dates back to 2011.
Why is this motorway important?
Although it is often stated in public that the goal is to connect the interior parts of RS, the essence of the project is much broader.
As a rule, motorways are not built for local traffic; they serve inter-state and regional connectivity, the development of trade, industry, and tourism. In this case, it is about a direct connection between Banja Luka and Split, but also an alternative route towards northern Croatia from Dalmatia.
For residents of Dalmatia, this road would mean a shorter connection to Zagreb and Central Europe, while for the western parts of RS, it would represent the most important infrastructure project in the last several decades.
The problem: the Federation and Croatia are without concrete steps
While the authorities of the RS have recently intensified activities again, the situation is significantly different in the FBiH and Croatia.
In the FBiH, this project has never been high on the list of priorities, since the route passes through areas without major urban and industrial centres. Because of this, it is likely that, even if it comes to realization, the section through the FBiH could be built as an expressway rather than a motorway.
A similar situation exists in Croatia. Although the project received political support as early as 2014, it was later assessed that a new road could reduce traffic on the Zagreb-Split motorway, which would lead to losses from toll revenues. For this reason, as Croatian media previously reported, Zagreb’s interest has significantly weakened in recent years.
A project more than 15 years old
The idea of the Banja Luka-Split motorway was first officially presented back in 2008, and in 2014, conceptual designs were even shown, with interest from the Chinese company Sinohydro. At the time, it was said that the entire route could be completed by 2026, but it turned out that these were overly optimistic estimates.
Nevertheless, in the past two years, the project has been reactivated, especially through decisions of the RS Government on spatial planning documentation; talks with institutions of BiH and Croatia; and renewed inclusion of the topic in joint bilateral discussions.
The key question: Will construction really begin?
Although the announcement of the start of construction in 2026 seems encouraging, a number of open questions remain, from financing, through coordination with the Federation and Croatia, to the realistic pace of work.
Experts warn that further delays could have serious consequences for the western parts of RS, which have for years been suffering from depopulation, weak economic development, and poor transport connectivity.
If the motorway were indeed to be built, it would have strategic importance not only for the RS, but also for the regional connectivity of BiH with the European Union (EU) and the Adriatic.
For now, it remains to be seen whether the 2025 announcement will finally mark a shift from political promises to actual works, or whether this project will continue to remain in the category of large but unrealized plans.
