The construction of the Putnikovo brdo – Medakovo highway section on corridor 5c, 8.5 kilometers long and worth 167 million euros, will be completed by the summer of this year, instead of the planned middle of last year, according to announcements. The connection with the Doboj bypass is delayed due to problems with the construction of the “Putnikovo Brdo” tunnel in the RS. Local communities feel the consequences of the construction, above all on the road infrastructure, but they are aware that the benefits after the completion of the project will be multiple.
The works were slowed down due to bad weather, the displacement of the river Tešanjka and the discovery of two archaeological sites. Due to geological problems at the “Putnikovo Brdo” tunnel in the RS, the connection with the Doboj bypass is significantly delayed.
“On this section, from the ‘Usora’ loop to the ‘Medakovo’ loop, on a length of about 6.5 kilometers, the final works remain. This includes the drawing of horizontal signaling, the arrangement of slopes and the final works at the toll booths,” said Edin Dedović, head of the project on the Putnikovo Brdo – Medakovo section at the Public Enterprise of the FBiH Highway.
Although the roundabout on the entity line in Doboj-Jugo was recently built, drivers indicated that it was not adequate considering the frequency of traffic.
“There was a large number of accidents on the roundabout itself, and we have initiated with the authorities that this issue be resolved as soon as possible. We expect that it will be done as soon as possible,” said Mirnes Tukić, head of the Doboj Jug Municipality (SDA).
Dedović added that the expansion of the inner ring of the roundabout will be part of the project and that it is expected to be implemented as soon as the opportunity arises.
Up to 450 workers and a dozen local subcontractors were engaged on the work route.
“We are proud to have participated in the construction of Corridor 5c, which is a development project for our Bosnia and Herzegovina. The construction of this section Putnikovo brdo – Medakovo is in the final phase,” said Saća Prnjavorac, representative of the company subcontracting work on Corridor 5c.
The section should be completed by the summer, and the section from Medakovo to Ozimica by the end of the year. With the completion of the Ozimica – Poprikusa section, the 140-kilometer highway will finally connect Doboj and Sarajevo.
Infrastructural projects like this necessarily bring trouble to the local population, who feel the consequences in the form of damage to road and other infrastructure, dust and noise. In the area of Tešnja, which has been in a kind of road blockade for about a hundred years, about 70 kilometers of local roads are used for the construction of the highway, and about 10,000 inhabitants directly suffer the negative consequences of the construction. However, local officials point out that the highway brings numerous benefits.
“With the construction of Corridor 5c, we think that we will be faster, stronger and more efficient, that we will achieve more traffic, have more jobs and, in fact, have the sustainability of the local community”, said Suad Huskić, Mayor of Tešanj Municipality (SDA).
This section, with six bridges, a tunnel, two interchanges, two toll booths and a center for maintenance and traffic control, costs about 300 million marks, and was financed with credit from the European Union.
