Počitelj Bridge, the largest bridge on Corridor Vc, connected

(Patria) - The Počitelj Bridge has been connected by the final joining of the span structure in fields 6 and 7. With a height of over 100 meters and a length of almost one kilometer, the Počitelj Bridge is one of the tallest bridges in the region, making it one of the most complex structures on the entire Corridor.

“Today’s joining of the Počitelj Bridge can be freely marked as the beginning of a more active, dynamic period ahead of us, in which we aim to intensify the construction of the highway in Herzegovina. With the imminent completion of activities on the Počitelj – Zvirovići section, and the start of works on the construction of the Prenj tunnel and the Mostar north – Mostar south and Tunnel Kvanj – Buna sections, which we plan to contract this year, we are opening new perspectives for the business community and raising the economic potential of this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina to a higher level,” pointed out Denis Lasić, acting director of the FBiH Motorways Company.

The Počitelj Bridge is designed as a continuous prestressed girder bridge with a main span of 147 m, a variable box cross-section and a unique structure for both roadways, with piers monolithically connected to the span structure, which is built using the free cantilever method.

The total amount of materials built into the bridge is 38,000 m3 of concrete, 9,000 tons of reinforcement and 1,500 tons of prestressing cables, while in the coming period, 20,000 m2 of asphalt and waterproofing will also be installed.

The contractor for the bridge, which is located near the historic settlement of Počitelj after which it is named, is a consortium consisting of: Azvirt Limited Liability Company (Azerbaijan), Sinohydro Corporation Limited (China) and Powerchina Roadbridge Group Co. Ltd. (China).

The construction of the Počitelj Bridge, the bridge that spans the M-17 main road, the Neretva River and the Sarajevo - Ploče railway line, is financed from funds secured under the Loan Agreement concluded with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and non-repayable funds of the European Union secured under the Connectivity Agenda through the Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF), and the total value of works for the construction of the Počitelj Bridge is EUR 28,114,889.53 excluding VAT.

Completion of the construction of the Počitelj Bridge is expected in the autumn of this year.