We expect that offers for the construction of an interstate bridge at the Sava near Svijala could begin on 18 March, and construction should start by June, said the BiH Minister for Transport and Communications Damir Hadžić after today’s meeting in Sarajevo with the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure of Croatia Siniša Hajdaš Dončić.
Hadžić has expressed hope that if BiH and Croatia secure funds for this purpose, the realization of this project that was announced years ago could finally begin.
“The construction of this bridge would open up the possibility for the construction of an additional 10 KM of highway from Odžak towards Svilaja and connect with Croatia’’, said Hadžić.
He said that today they agreed to form a working group that would be responsible for finding the best solution to the problem that created a discrepancy in defining the cost of the construction of the bridge at Gradiška, since the original price was 27 million euros, while the current amount is 42 million euros.
“It is about one of the tow most important border crossings for BiH that is open for all kinds of merchandise and we expect a building permit in the next 30 days or so in order to begin the implementation of this project, for which BiH has secured 50 percent of the funds for the original planned costs’’, said Hadžić.
He added that he talked about taking control of the BiH airspace, and that it is defined in the next 30 days the signing of a statement by the ministers would give full confirmation of BiH certification efforts to finally take over sovereignty of its skies, for which it received political and technical support of Minister Dončić and the Croatian government.
“We can expect that by the end of April 2014 BiH would take control of its airspace for the first time, because neither in the former Yugoslavia we did not have this control’’, said Hadžić, and thanked the Croatian government and its people for helping BiH on the path to Euro Atlantic integration.
Minister Hajdaš Dončić added that they spoke of the inclusion of the Adriatic-Ionian highway on one of the European corridors, since the European Commission in the fall of this year plans to organize a conference as to how road and rail corridors in BiH and other neighboring countries would be included in the core networks of the European Commission.
“All decisions relating to connecting the south of Croatia are discussed with the full participation of all BiH representatives, and that is how studies of the feasibility have been contracted and constructed, and includes economic, social and demographic aspects. By the end of July the best solution should be adopted’’, said Hajdaš Dončić.
