In the Municipality of Pale in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, preparatory works for breaking the tunnel “Hranjen” are underway, as part of a future fast road connecting Gorazde with Sarajevo.
The Prime Minister of Bosnia Podrinje Canton (BPK) Gorazde Emir Okovic, who together with the Mayor of Pale visited the site, pointed out that in spite of the bad weather conditions, the construction of the necessary infrastructure is proceeding with the planned dynamics, and in accordance with the contract concluded with the contractor, Federal News Agency reports.
At the moment, construction of the access road is in progress and according to Okovic, extensive preparatory works include the installation of a concrete base and other preparations for construction.
“We are encouraged by the fact that, in spite of the weather conditions, the contractor did not stop and does what is possible in order to reach the main works in the foreseen term, that is, to the excavation of the tunnel portal itself. Concrete works can be expected with the improvement of weather conditions, that is, in the early spring. Until then, it is necessary to provide all infrastructure, make access roads through the Praca River and to the entrance to the portal,” said Okovic.
He added that BPK Goražde issued the required consents.
“The total value of the construction of the tunnel amounts to 190 million BAM and the planned deadline for its construction is 36 months. The announced tender refers to the first phase of the construction, i.e. the breakthrough of the tunnel and installation of the supporting facilities, which represents the most important and demanding part of the construction of this type of object. The cost of the construction in the first phase of works amounts to a total of 70 million BAM.”
Specificity of this tunnel is that it will have two tubes, despite containing two lanes for the traffic.
The construction of the tunnel “Hranjen” represents a historic project for Gorazde, because the distance will be decreased from the current 95.6 kilometers to 56 kilometers.
After the construction of tunnel Hranjen, and given the quality of the new route, the ride between Sarajevo and Gorazde will last for 45 minutes instead of the hour and a half.
In the video below, you can see how the Tunnel Hranjen will look like:
(Photo: FENA, Elma Geca)
