Of the 650 kilometers of the Pan-European highway on Corridor 5c, from Budapest to the Adriatic Sea, 317 kilometers are through Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far, 126 kilometers have been built. In addition to the section Putnikovo Brdo – Medakovo, on the inter-entity line near Doboj, work also began on the longest and most expensive contracted section Medakovo – Ozimice. According to the contractors, despite the increased costs and numerous technical challenges, the works should be completed by the middle of 2026.
8.5 kilometers long, the Putnikovo Brdo – Medakovo section, along with six bridges, also includes regulation of the riverbeds of the Usora, Tešanjka and Trebačka rivers in a length of six kilometers.
“Due to the presence of rivers, there is no shortage of challenges, we already have several of them. We are currently in one of those locations where we had to overcome certain technical challenges”, says Jasmin Bučo, general manager of Euroasfalt.
It is about the “Hrastik” tunnel, where the modern, so-called the “Austrian” method of construction to avoid the displacement of the international transmission line, but also the local road.
At the same time, work on the longest, but also the most expensive section of the highway on Corridor 5c through Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened. Namely, we are talking about the Medakovo-Ozimica section with a total length of 22 kilometers and a value of over 420 million euros including VAT.
On this section, which passes through the municipalities of Tešanj, Maglaj and Žepče, which is being built by the Turkish “Cengiz İnşaat”, as many as 25 smaller and larger bridges, two viaducts, and one interchange will be built.
“Currently, works are being carried out in a length of 16 kilometers worth over 900 million marks. About two percent of the area of the Tešanj municipality is occupied by the construction site at the moment”, points out Suad Huskić, head of the Tešanj Municipality.
This share is financed by the European Investment Bank. The war in Ukraine and inflation adversely affect the financing of the construction of this demanding section.
“That gap is now being bridged in the negotiations with the financiers,” says Ermin Handžar, head of the Construction Service at JP Autoceste FBiH.
Despite the bad weather, the works are in progress. The section Putnikovo Brdo – Medakovo worth 167 million euros should be completed on June 1, 2025, and Medakovo – Ozimice a year later.
“This is how we have been solving problems so far – if we continue, I think we can meet the deadlines,” says Bučo.
“In a technical sense, on the critical road on this second section is the ‘Crni vrh’ tunnel, which is 2.2 kilometers long, but our experience tells us that we can bridge it in that period,” says Handžar.
In 2024, the construction of 54 kilometers of highway through Bosnia and Herzegovina is planned.
Photo: illustration
