Karić: Contractor to be selected in August for Počitelj - Bijača section

Construction of the Počitelj – Bijača section on Corridor 5C will begin by the end of the year, after the Council of Ministers of BiH yesterday accepted the initiative to finance it with loan funds from the European Investment Bank in the amount of 100 million euros allocated to the Federation of BiH, with a loan repayment period of 25 years, including a six-year grace period and a favorable EURIBOR interest rate, writes the BiH news agency Patria.

The Počitelj - Bijača section is 21.2 km long and is divided into three subsections: Kravice - Bijača, Zvirovići - Kravice, and Počitelj - Zvirovići. This section also includes a large bridge near Počitelj, one kilometer long and 91 meters high. Ensad Karić, director of JP „Autoceste FBiH“, which is the project holder, stated that the construction of the bridge on this section will be the most expensive part of the project.

- We will start the tender process and the selection of contractors in August – says Karić.

Total project costs are estimated at 202 million euros, of which 100 million euros is an EIB loan, and a previously concluded loan with the EBRD is 60 million euros. The amount of funds missing for construction and supervision, as well as for expropriation and design, will be secured from own funds.

The construction of this section will directly connect Mostar and Bijača, and it is expected that the entire project will facilitate trade, contribute to the development of tourism, the regional and state economy, and further improve life in the entire region, writes Patria.