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

  • Serbian connection on target
    March 2, 2012
    Work is progressing well on the Beska Bridge over the Danube River in Serbia.
  • Another bridge over the River Drina
    October 29, 2020
    Cost of the two-lane bridge between Bosnia and Serbia is reportedly around €13 million.
  • Serbia’s Corridor 11 highway concession
    October 8, 2013
    In Serbia plans are moving forward for the Corridor 11 highway. The contract for the 48km of highway looks set to be carried out under a concession model by Chinese companies. The deal will also involve the 103km Obrenovac-Preljina highway. The cost of the Corridor 11 highway project has not yet been disclosed. A decision has yet to be made regarding the Horgos-Belgrade-Pozega highway. Part of this route was to be built under a concession awarded to Alpine and Porr and this deal included work on some 250km
  • Champlain Bridge set to open by end of year, says SNC-Lavalin
    May 14, 2018
    The Canadian city’s replacement Champlain Bridge will open on schedule at the end of the year. Montreal, one of Canada’s largest cities, will have a well-earned Christmas present in December when the new Champlain Bridge opens after 42 months of construction. The new bridge, part of a six-lane 6km corridor including roads, is being built alongside the original bridge over the Saint Lawrence River and Seaway canal system. The new bridge, 3.4km long, runs from the île des Soeurs to Brossard, immediately dow