With the final connection of the span structure in fields 6 and 7, the Pocitelj bridge was finally connected. With a height of over 100 meters and a length of almost one kilometer, the Pocitelj Bridge is one of the highest bridges in the region, which makes it one of the most complex structures on the entire Corridor Vc.
“Today’s connection of the Pocitelj bridge can be freely marked as the beginning of a more active, dynamic period ahead of us, in which we aim to intensify the construction of the highway in Herzegovina. With the near completion of activities on the Pocitelj – Zvirovici section and the start of construction work on the Prenj tunnel and the Mostar north – Mostar south section and the Kvanj – Buna tunnel, which we plan to contract this year, we are opening new perspectives for the business community and raising the economic potential of this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to a higher level,” said Denis Lasic yesterday, acting director of the public company Motorways of the Federation of BiH (FBiH).
The Pocitelj bridge is designed as a continuous prestressed girder bridge with a main span of 147 m, a variable box cross-section, and a unique construction for both carriageways and columns monolithically connected to the span construction, which is carried out by free cantilever construction.
The total amount of material installed in the bridge is 38.000 cubic meters of concrete, 9.000 tons of reinforcement, and 1.500 tons of prestressing cables, while 20.000 square meters of asphalt and waterproofing will be installed in the coming period.
The construction of the Pocitelj bridge, a bridge that bridges the M-17 main road, the Neretva River, and the Sarajevo-Ploce railway, is being financed from the funds secured under the loan agreement concluded with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and grants from the European Union (EU) provided under the Agenda for Connection through the Investment Framework for the Western Balkans (WBIF), and the total value of the works for the construction of the Pocitelj bridge is 28.114.889.53 euros without VAT.
Completion of the construction of the Pocitelj Bridge is expected in the fall of this year.
