The Počitelji bridge is the largest on Corridor Vc, but also one of the highest bridges in the region – over 100 meters. The impressive bridge on the Počitelj – Zvirovići section is worth more than 28 million marks, and was connected at the beginning of July. It is interesting for professionals and tourists alike.
Aerial shots only give a real impression of what a big project it is. The Počitelj Bridge was a challenge for many, mostly local engineers who invested all their knowledge in this extremely demanding project.
“This is one of the buildings that has had the most challenges in my professional practice, which has been going on since 1977, since I graduated college, in all segments – design, execution, supervision, organization of the construction site, and especially in construction,” says Ismet Hajduk, representative of the company for the supervision of the Počitelj – Zvirovići section.
Sanjin Jahić is an engineer for bridges and structures. This, he points out, is the biggest project in his career so far, and certainly the biggest one he will ever participate in: “To tell you the truth, I fought to be a part of this project because when you put something like this on your resume, it has great significance. Objects like this are rarely built and I am honored to be a part of this project.”
Final works on installations and drainage and waterproofing are ongoing. Asphalting will follow, as well as the installation of safety fences on the bridge. The coronavirus, rising prices of construction materials and a lack of labor contributed to delays. However, the Public Enterprise Highways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina states that the bridge will be operational from autumn.
Denis Lasić, director of Public Enterprise Autoceste FBiH, reminds that the newly built section was preserved, but with the opening of the bridge it will also become functional: “In Ševaš-Polje, we will have a temporary connection to the newly opened section, which as such will be ten kilometers long of the highway”.
The Počitelj bridge is unique, also in that 4 lanes of the highway are located on one structure. The amount of material used so far is also impressive – 9,000 tons of reinforcement have been installed in the bridge. And it doesn’t end there. There is still a lot of work to be done on this section of the Federation Highway.
“What we will contract this year is the Kvanj tunnel, and we will finally create the conditions to descend into the Neretva valley and the South Mostar part – to call it that. By the end of the year, at the latest at the beginning of next year, we will agree Mostar south – Kvanj. We had various vicissitudes there,” adds Lasić.
The Prenj tunnel will be a very demanding part of the Herzegovinian section of the highway, but Autoceste hopes that this year the work on the selection of contractors will also be completed. The south of the country will once again be a large construction site.
