The Stolac - Neum road has been talked about for 40 years

BiH, (Patria) - The Stolac – Neum expressway, which has been discussed for years, is yet to see concrete work continue. This road has been talked about for 40 years.

No one is officially speaking about what the real problem is and who is to blame for obstructing this project, which is important for the local community, as well as for the Federation and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The FBiH Roads Public Company says that the expected completion of work on this road is 2022.

DF MP in the State Parliament Hanka Vajzović is also interested in this project and asked "how far this decades-long project has actually come at this point."

- When will the Stolac - Neum road finally be completed, why haven't works started and when will they? – asked Vajzović.

The FBiH Roads Public Company emphasizes that the construction of the Neum - Stolac road is a very complex and expensive project, on which various activities have been carried out for years, depending on secured funds, in order to prepare the project for application and approval by international financial institutions.

- The modernization program was accepted and a loan was approved, which envisages financing the construction of the Neum - Stolac road through a loan from the EIB+WB (European Investment Bank and World Bank) for three sections: completion of works on the Stari Neum - Kiševo - Broćanac section, with allocated funds of 6.61 million euros; construction of the Broćanac - Cerovica section, with allocated funds of 21.46 million euros; and construction of the Cerovica - Drenovac section, with allocated funds for that section of 12.79 million euros – say the FBiH Roads.

The loan approval process is slow and complex, so although the modernization program was submitted in 2014, the loan was only approved in 2016, and became effective on October 7, 2017. Funds for property expropriation will be provided by the FBiH Government.

- In the previous period, complete project documentation at the main project level was prepared, an expropriation study for the entire project was prepared, the expropriation procedure was carried out, and a building permit was obtained for the Stari Neum - Kiševo - Broćanac section. Works were carried out at the BNS level (bituminous base course made from asphalt mixture). All these activities were financed from the own funds of the FBiH Roads Public Company and funds provided by the Government – state the FBiH Roads.

Contractors for the works on the Stari Neum - Kiševo - Broćanac section have been selected and contracts were signed at the end of January.

- The expected start of works is the first half of February 2018. A tender has also been prepared for works on the Prapratnica - Hutovo section, including the Žaba tunnel – it is further stated.

The Roads also claim that the project has not been obstructed and that the real problem in the past period was the lack of financial resources.

- All funds secured so far by the FBiH Government and the FBiH Roads Public Company for this project have been used purposefully and in a timely manner – claim the FBiH Roads.