Federation of BiH Expected to Become a Major Construction Site This Year, with Work Valued at Several Billion KM

(Patria) - In the recent period, highway construction in the Federation of BiH has significantly intensified, with much work also being done "behind the scenes," i.e., on the preparation of several important sections.

This mostly involves procedures for selecting contractors and other preparatory works that should result in several important contracts being signed this year and construction starting on a larger number of sections.

Billions of Marks

Some of them are individually worth more than one billion KM, and the total value amounts to several billion marks, writes BiznisInfo.ba.

With the start of construction on these sections, the Federation will become a large construction site across several geographical locations, and there is no doubt that there will be work for the entire domestic construction industry, as well as for manufacturers of construction materials and other supporting activities.

At the end of last year, a contract was signed for the construction of the Tunel Kvanj - Buna section, south of Mostar, worth 250 million KM excluding VAT. Although minor preparatory works have begun, the actual construction work, including the excavation of the Kvanj tunnel, is expected this year.

The Tunel Kvanj - Buna section is 5.1 kilometers long, with a completion deadline of 30 months. The work is being carried out by the large Chinese company CRBC.

This year, work should also begin on the adjacent section, closer to Mostar, Mostar jug - Tunel Kvanj. For this section, the contractor is reportedly the Austrian company Strabag, selected at the end of last year, although the contract has not yet been signed.

This section is 9.2 kilometers long, and the winning bid is reportedly around 300 million KM.

However, these sections are practically just a "warm-up" for the projects that should start this year.

Namely, in the first part of the year, the construction of the most complex and most expensive structure on the entire highway through BiH - the Prenj Tunnel - should be contracted, as well as the no less complex Mostar sjever - Mostar jug section.

The Prenj Tunnel will be 10.9 kilometers long, making it the ninth longest in Europe and the 30th in the world.

Herzegovina in Focus

The entire section is over 12 kilometers long, with an estimated value of around 1.17 billion KM. Thus, this will be the first structure individually worth over one billion KM.

The tunnel will be built through the Prenj mountain massif between Konjic and Mostar, drastically shortening the travel time between the two cities.

The Mostar sjever - Mostar jug section is of similar complexity. It is essentially the Mostar bypass, which will run through extremely challenging, hilly terrain. The section is over 14 kilometers long, and its value will be around half a billion marks.

The Mostar sjever - Mostar jug section mostly passes through hilly and mountainous terrain, leaving little space, so it will feature many cuts and embankments with numerous structures.

All in all, once work begins on all the mentioned sections, Herzegovina will become a large construction site.

But that is not all. This year, construction should also start on another major section. This is the Ozimica - Poprikuše section.

Currently, the largest construction site in BiH is the one between Zenica and Doboj, where as many as six sections are being built, with plans for the entire part of the highway to be completed by the end of next year.

The only section not yet under construction in that area is precisely Ozimica - Poprikuše. This is a 12.8-kilometer section, with an estimated construction value of around 665 million KM.

The contractor selection procedure should soon be completed so that construction of that section can also begin. After that, the entire northern part of Corridor 5c through the Federation of BiH, between Zenica and Doboj, will be under construction.

All in all, it can be said that this will be a pivotal year for the construction of Corridor 5C through the Federation of BiH.

If things go according to plan this year, i.e., if all planned construction sites are opened, the prerequisites will be created for the entire Corridor 5c to be completed around 2030.