Mostar gets another bridge, Sutina and Avenija connected

MOSTAR, (Patria) - The Avenija-Sutina bridge is an object of significance not only for Mostar, but also wider, it was heard today at the ceremony of opening a completely new bridge at the northern entrance to the city.

Experts and officials emphasized that the new bridge, which directly connects the Avenija settlement on the right bank with the area of the former Sjeverni logor barracks on the left bank of the Neretva River, will significantly relieve traffic in Mostar itself, and also facilitate the connection of the center of Herzegovina with Sarajevo.

The ceremonial ribbon was cut by the Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Bešlić, the Head of Strategic Planning and Project Management from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Renato Škrobo, and the Head of the City Department for Construction of Infrastructure Facilities, Emir Nuspahić.

- The construction of this bridge will contribute to many things, primarily to smoother traffic flow, better connectivity, and will relieve the city center, and enable the uninterrupted further construction of the collector. I believe that until the construction of the southern bypass, this will become a main road - said, among other things, at the bridge opening ceremony, addressing the present citizens and guests, the Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Bešlić.

The Speaker of the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Šerif Špago, stated for the portal StarMo.ba that this project has wider significance.

- This bridge means a lot in the symbolic sense of connecting two banks, two sides, and as an infrastructure facility, it will relieve traffic through the city of Mostar and the Customs Bridge, and all these traffic jams we have in the city of Mostar - said Špago, adding that the new bridge will also contribute to faster flow of goods and people towards Sarajevo and West Herzegovina.

- With the realization of this project, all road traffic through the city of Mostar from the direction of western and southern Herzegovina and vice versa, towards the north, has a significantly shorter time flow, i.e., the newly built bridge and road provide higher quality and safer conditions for using the roadways - said, among other things, the Head of Strategic Planning and Project Management from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Renato Škrobo.

The Head of the City Department for Construction of Infrastructure Facilities, Emir Nuspahić, pointed out that the entire process of constructing the new bridge began 35 years ago, when the first project for the bridge was made. City authorities managed to obtain a copy of the project and thus apply for the first funds for the construction of the bridge and the contracting of the first works.

Nuspahić stated that the bridge is a total of 190 meters long, 20.10 meters wide, has four traffic lanes, a dividing strip, and pedestrian areas.

- The bridge itself cost 9.5 million KM, meaning these 190 meters and 80 percent of these funds were secured from the GSM license, through the Government of FBiH, i.e., the relevant ministry, and 20 percent was secured by the city - said Nuspahić.

Nuspahić said that the access road, from the right bank, 370 meters long, is fully constructed, and from the left bank, 710 meters long; all together with the roundabout is about 1.3 kilometers of newly built roadway. All together it cost 15.3 million KM, of which 11 million KM came from the funds of the Government of FBiH through the GSM license.

Everything that was done on this project, Nuspahić added, was done by local experts and local contractors.