The Bratoljub Bridge between Serbia and the autonomous Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska is set to open in March after years of delays.
Local media reported that Radovan Viskovic, prime minister of the Republika Srpska, announced the date.
News reports in mid-2016 said Serbia’s ministry of construction announced that the bridge was soon to be completed, at a cost of around €13 million. Serbia reportedly was building the entire two-lane 227m-long bridge that will also have a cycle and pedestrian lane on each side.
The bridge connects the Serbian town of Ljubovija and the town of Bratunac in Republika Srpska on the Bosnian side of the River Drina.
The process for agreeing a new bridge over the Drina began in 2013 and was formalised in 2016 for construction to start soon after. Although the bridge was mostly built, the project stalled over construction of the connecting roads on each side of the structure.
On the Bosnian side, the government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was to build the border crossing within the municipality of Bratunac in Republika Srpska, a constituent part of federated Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the government of Republika Srpska was to build the access road to the bridge.
Disagreements between the Bosnian government and that of Republika Srpska delayed construction work.
Media reported that the contractor has been MBA-Ratko Mitrović Civil Engineering, based in the Serbian capital Belgrade, and the project was led by the Traffic Institute CIP Belgrade, also in Belgrade.
