Easier access to BiH's coast: Funds approved for construction of a modern road from Stolac to Neum

Intensive construction of a modern main road from Stolac to Neum is about to begin, for which the Federation Government has allocated just over 30 million euros, and which will allow Bosnians and Herzegovinians to reach the sea without crossing the border with Croatia, confirmed in an interview for the Bosnian news agency Patria the Federal Minister of Transport and Communications Enver Bijedić.

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina can currently reach Neum only via Croatian territory, or, if they wish to avoid Croatia, they can use an extremely poor road through the town of Svitava, which is so substandard that tourists prefer to wait at the border rather than use this route.

- The road that will connect Stolac with Neum will be just over 20 kilometers long, traffic will be able to travel at about 80 kilometers per hour, and the journey will take only about 20 minutes – says Bijedić. Although he is a departing minister, Bijedić says that funds for this section have been secured, from credit sources, so there should be no obstacles for BiH to finally get this important road, whose construction has been started and stopped several times so far.

This road is also eagerly awaited in Neum. When it is finally completed, it will significantly impact tourism in the only BiH coastal town, and this could be finished if not next year then certainly by the 2017 tourist season, writes Patria.