Skip to main content

Progress on Serbia’s Zezeljev bridge replacement is slow

Construction of the Zezeljev rail and road bridge across the Danube River is facing further delays, according to the Serbian government. Work on the 470m-long new bridge was supposed to be finished by this month. But national elections and changes of government have hampered progress, Serbian media have reported. The original bridge was completed in 1961 as a single-track railway line and separate roadway between the cities of Novi Sad and Petrovaradin. NATO attacked the structure five times during its camp
August 30, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Construction of the Zezeljev rail and road bridge across the Danube River is facing further delays, according to the Serbian government.

Work on the 470m-long new bridge was supposed to be finished by this month. But national elections and changes of government have hampered progress, Serbian media have reported.

The original bridge was completed in 1961 as a single-track railway line and separate roadway between the cities of Novi Sad and Petrovaradin. NATO attacked the structure five times during its campaign against Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was a member. The bridge was damaged first on 20 April 1999 and finally destroyed four days later, according to Edgar Martin, a waterways transportation consultant working in the Balkans.

Construction of the new bridge forms part of an 3287 EU strategy for the Danube Region. The replacement project was delayed initially because of work to remove wreckage of the old bridge in the Danube.

Completion of the bridge is not now likely to be in the spring of next year. Spanish company 5289 Azvi is the contractor and around €30 million of the estimated 60 million has been invested so far.

The minister also expressed concern over slow progress of works on Ub-Obrenovac part of the Corridor 11 motorway.

Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucichas said he plans to visit the Surcin-Obrenovac section of Corridor 11. China Construction Communication Company began work on the 18km motorway in March 2017, with completion expected by the end of 2019. Value of works is estimated at €208 million, and is financed by China's Exim Bank, while Serbian roads company Putevi Srbije is the investor.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • China to begin works on Serbia’s Corridor 11 motorway later this month
    August 27, 2013
    Chinese company Shandong High Speed Group is planning to begin construction works on Serbia’s Corridor 11 motorway in the second half of September 2013. Shandong will participate with 51% of works on the Lajkovac-Ljig and Obrenovac-Ub parts of the motorway, with domestic companies participating in the remainder of the works, due for completion within 38 months. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan-based firm Azvirt is working on the 40km part of the Ljig-Preljina motorway, worth a total of €308 million.
  • BC again eyes Massey Tunnel replacement
    December 21, 2020
    The aging 61-year-old Canadian tunnel is about 30km north of the US state of Washington.
  • Delays put in doubt Serbian road deals
    April 19, 2016
    The two construction companies in Serbia, appointed for rehabilitation of around 1,100km of motorways, may have their contracts cancelled soon, according to Serbian media. The projects estimated to be worth around €400 million, according to a report by the national news agency Tanjug. Serbian vice president, Zorana Mihajlovic reportedly said that federal government may cancel the work due to violations of deadlines. However, she did not name the companies. For the time being it is an issue between
  • Serbia’s Nis-Pristina motorway inches ahead
    October 24, 2016
    Serbia will cooperate with Albania on construction of the proposed Nis-Merdare-Prishtina motorway, according to media reports. Serbian vice president and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlovic, said that the motorway will be part of a larger project to give faster access, through Pristina, capital of Kosovo, to Albania’s Adriatic Sea port of Drac.