Absurdity in the corridor called longing, officially Corridor Vc. From the meadow, finally the entrance to the tunnel, and the exit from it again – to nothing! How did 400 square meters block around 600 million marks?! Namely, nearly 280 million marks are being invested in the Kvanj-Buna tunnel section, but there is no continuation towards Mostar. The next section Mostar south – the Kvanj tunnel, worth another 300 million, has been blocked for years, while penalties are coming for approved but not withdrawn money.
“It is the fastest excavated tunnel on Corridor Vc. It has a total length of 2.6 kilometers. Both pipes were excavated and broken through in less than a year,” said Asmir Dževlan, executive director of JP Autocesta for design and construction.
But the record is in vain if there is no continuation. Buna – Počitelj, a section that has ended in a meadow for years, now continues through Kvanj. And as soon as you get out of the tunnel – the wall again. The construction of the next section towards Mostar, 9.2 kilometers long and worth more than 300 million marks, has not even started. The money is secured as early as 2019. There is no work, but the bill is coming.
“Currently, 1.5 million marks have been paid as a penalty for the section Mostar south – Tunnel Kvanj. This is a contractual clause of the EBRD. That money is actually standing and waiting for us”, adds Dževlan.
The reason is 400 square meters. The route touches the “Miralem Jugo” barracks and the Ortiješ military airport. The BiH Presidency did not give its consent.
“Considering that the route of the highway, which finally passes through the Ortiješ airport, which is a prospective military location, i.e. state property, has been changed several times, and that the High Representative’s decision prohibits the disposal of state property, we cannot and do not want to violate the same decision,” said Željko Komšić.
In Autoceste, they argue, the military perspective of the location and the issue of state property are mixed up. From the Presidency, they say, they are not asking for a transfer of ownership or a permit to build on state land, but a decision – whether that location is still a military perspective.
“The Presidency does not give consent to build over state property. It needs to make a decision and say whether it agrees or disagrees with the question of whether it is a military perspective. And in other procedures it will be determined – as it has been determined so far on Corridor Vc – obtaining a decision on expropriation and entering the property in regular procedures,” emphasizes Dževlan.
Former BiH Ombudsman Ismet Velić warns that legal shortcuts and creative interpretations of regulations lead nowhere. The key question is whether there is still a real military need for that land. If it doesn’t exist, the solution is on the table.
“In my opinion, there are two ways, either to give that consent, so that on the basis of the consent this issue is resolved, to enable construction on that particular part, or to correct the project itself and bypass that section in that part where there is a need for that land to continue to be used by the Ministry of Defense, that is, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says Velić.
Both highways tried: the open route was replaced by a tunnel solution, with a closed shooting range according to NATO standards and an additional 13 million marks.
“It was the recommendation of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina that the land is not needed for military purposes, nor does it threaten Mostar Airport… We have consent from Mostar Airport, BHDCA, BHANSA, FBiH Railways, and the Ministry of Defense. However, this was again not acceptable to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dževlan points out.
“If they think that this is no longer a problem, that it can be solved, then I don’t see why this problem would be highlighted any further. There is a possibility that it can be solved through that appropriate agreement,” added Velić.
And that’s where the bureaucratic circle closes, and this map of the fragmented route opens: from the south, a built section, then a construction site, then the record-breaking Kvanj, then a halt towards Mostar. A connected road on paper. On the field – a break of 400 square meters. Enough to turn the fastest dug tunnel into the most expensive dead end on Corridor Vc, Federalna writes.
