Problem for BPK Economy: Vehicles Over 12 Tons Cannot Travel via Rogoj, Must Use Prača

(Patria) - The regional road via Prača is from today the only viable route for heavy goods vehicles over 12 tons traveling on the Goražde – Sarajevo route.

The economy of Goražde, as well as hauliers whose buses weigh more than 12 tons, have found themselves in a difficult position after traffic via Rogoj was completely closed due to the reconstruction of the tunnel on the main road Foča - Sarajevo, on the Dobro Polje – Miljevina section, which will last until the end of March. On the road to Sarajevo via Rogatica, on the Sastavci-Ustiprača section of the main road, a bridge is damaged, and traffic is proceeding in one lane, with a restriction for vehicles up to 12 tons.

The Prime Minister of BPK Goražde, Edin Ćulov, emphasizes that all of the above has caused a series of problems in communications towards Sarajevo.

- This is not a problem only for BPK Goražde, but for the entire region and economic entities involved in production, export, and others. They will not be able to deliver their goods to Sarajevo as they have done so far. The reasons are objective; the tunnel on the route from Foča is damaged; perhaps the work could have been carried out during the night hours, as was the case with the tunnel near Mostar. At the Sastavci location towards Rogatica, a part of the bridge has sunk, and solutions and repairs are underway, but there is no transport for vehicles over 12 tons – said Ćulov.

He stressed that from today, vehicles transporting goods and trucks over 12 tons are using the regional road Goražde – Prača – Sarajevo, with the note that the road via Grepak is also not recommended for trucks due to the narrowness of the roadway.

- Via Grepak might be possible with police escort; we know it's a narrow road and that there are problems with passage on a few sections, but if it's about semi-trailers, they would have to be accompanied by police to avoid traffic congestion. Unfortunately, until the route via Rogoj opens, businesses are left to use the alternative route via Prača. What we can do is engage the police in escort to enable faster vehicle flow – noted Ćulov.

According to him, this kind of traffic blockade, at least when it comes to heavy vehicles, once again confirmed how essential the earliest possible breakthrough of the Hranjen tunnel is for BPK Goražde.

- This is proof that we must speed up the work on the Hranjen tunnel; it must be completed as soon as possible, along with the access road, so that the journey to Sarajevo is 57 kilometers in 45 minutes, and this is of enormous importance for the entire region. There were two appeals on the current tender of 123 million; we expect the appeal period to end this week and for the implementation to finally begin. The deadline is 30 months, and I hope there will be no unforeseen situations – said the Prime Minister of BPK Goražde.