Everything is ready for the start of construction of the Mostar – Siroki Brijeg – Grude expressway, all the way to the border with the Republic of Croatia. Works will soon begin on the first section between Siroki Brijeg and Grude, with a length of 12 kilometers.
This expressway is of great importance for the further development of the economy in Herzegovina, as well as for relieving transit traffic on the existing M6.1 main road. At the beginning of autumn, the machines will finally go on-site.
The long-awaited expressway from Mostar through Siroki Brijeg and Grude to the border with the Republic of Croatia will take its first shape on the first two sections, from the Polugrno site in Siroki Brijeg to Podledinec in Grude, and from Podledinec to the Grude Istok junction.
With the selected contractors, the schedule of works will be agreed upon after signing the contract, while the total value of works on these two sections exceeds 124 million BAM.
Denis Lasic, Director of the Public Company of the Motorways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), emphasizes that works will start very soon in the autumn, and at the same time, according to available funds, efforts will be made to continue with other sections.
“Together with the Government of the FBiH, we are trying to find a model to secure both the financier and the contractor,” said Lasic.
High expectations for the future expressway are held by the leaders of Siroki Brijeg and Grude, as road traffic is the only connection with the world for western Herzegovina, and the local economy is growing, making new modern roads simply a necessity for further development.
Cities will be relieved
Mayor of Siroki Brijeg Ivo Pavkovic emphasizes that the existing main road through Trn has more of a local than a main character, as every house on this section has a connection.
“It is simply congested and overloaded with traffic. Surely, an expressway like this would completely relieve transit traffic in Siroki Brijeg, as it would be possible to enter in Grude and exit at Polog, thus bypassing the center of Siroki Brijeg,” Pavkovic said.
The Mayor of Grude, Ljubo Grizelj, reminds that their municipality has one of the busiest border crossings regarding both goods and passenger traffic.
“The economy of the entire western Herzegovina, Posusje, Siroki Brijeg, Grude, parts of Ljubuski, even Tomislavgrad, and Mostar, has transit traffic precisely via this corridor. With such a road, we would have the possibility to efficiently manage transit traffic and put it fully at the service of our and western Herzegovina’s economy,” emphasized Grizelj.
This expressway also includes the construction of the northern bypass of Mostar, which is still in the conceptual design phase. However, the priority is to build the connection from Polog through Siroki Brijeg to Grude and the border with Croatia. Completion of this section will largely depend on available financial resources, with the first part financed through capital transfers from the Government of the FBiH.
Road length 40.4 kilometers
Lasic reveals that there are numerous funds through which such roads in the FBiH could be financed, but the current legal framework does not recognize this.
“We have tremendous offers for Mostar – Siroki Brijeg – border with Croatia, as well as for Lasva – Nevic Polje further toward Jajce and Bihac, the Cazin area, and the Tuzla region. An estimate is that all this requires about 3 billion BAM, and we have funds that offer it, but we need to change some legal framework,” he emphasized.
It should be recalled that the section of the expressway from Polog to the border with the Republic of Croatia is 40.4 kilometers long. Besides its economic importance, this road has strategic significance as it would connect Corridor Vc in BiH with the A1 motorway in the Republic of Croatia, thereby improving traffic connectivity from Mostar to the Adriatic coast.
