New main road M17.3 Neum - Stolac officially open for traffic

The extensive activities, i.e. the design of the alignment, the provision of main designs and feasibility and EIA studies etc, led to the construction works on seven lots/subsections into which this project is divided, namely:

• LOT 1 - subsection Stari Neum - Babin Do – Oštrovac (L= 7,19 km); the Contractor - Integral Inžinjering AD Laktaši;
• LOT 2 - subsection Oštrovac – Broćanac (5 km) including Oštrovac tunnel; the Contractor - JV HP Investing d.o.o. Mostar and Putovi Grude d.o.o. Grude;
• LOT 3 - subsection Broćanac - Prapratnica (L= 3,025 km); the Contractor - Strabag AG Austria;
• LOT 4 - subsection Prapratnica – Hutovo (L= 2,625 km ) including the Žaba tunnel (L=975 m); the Contractor - JV Euro-Asfalt d.o.o. Sarajevo and HP Investing d.o.o. Mostar;
• LOT 5 - subsection Hutovo – Cerovica (L= 5,00 km); the Contractor - JV Hering d.d. Široki Brijeg and Cestar d.o.o Split;
• LOT 6 - subsection Cerovica – Stolovi (L= 4,85 km); the Contractor - JV Hering d.d. Široki Brijeg and Cestar d.o.o Split,
• LOT 7 - subsection Stolovi - Drenovac (L= 8,785 km); the Contractor - JV HP Investing d.o.o Mostar, Euro-Asfalt d.o.o. Sarajevo and Putovi d.o.o. Grude.

The more dynamic implementation of this project was related to the Federation Roads Modernization Program (2018 - 2022) which is financed by loans from the World Bank (WB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), and approved by the FBH Government.

"This new and modern road is primarily a functional access to the Adriatic Sea for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina that is entirely on the BH territory and enables the connection of the interior of the country with its only maritime city and tourist centre. Furthermore, the construction of this road will significantly facilitate the traffic over the main road M17, by reducing traffic jams, eliminating delays at the border crossing with the Republic of Croatia and increasing traffic safety in its entirety," said Ljubo Pravdić, director of FBH Roads.

Today's ceremony was attended by the Federal Prime Minister, Fadil Novalić, the President of House of Peoples of the BH Parliament, Dragan Čović, Federal Minister of Transport and Communications, Denis Lasić, Member of the House of Representatives of the BH Parliament, Borjana Krišto, President of the FBH, Marinko Čavara, the mayors of Neum and Stolac, Christopher Sheldon, World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, Europe and Central Asia, representatives of international financing institutions, representatives of the political corps in Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of designers, contractors, supervision, investor, local communities and many others.

The total value of this project, including FBH Government budgetary funds, FBH Roads own funds, loan funds and expropriation costs, amounts to BAM 96.523.354,33.