Tender evaluation nears for Croatia’s Peljeski Bridge Project

Croatia’s roads agency Hrvatske Ceste will soon start evaluating tenders for the controversial Peljeski Bridge project, according to national media. Bids for construction of the four-lane 2.4km long bridge have been submitted by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, Austria's Strabag as well as consortia headed by Italy’s Astaldi and the Turkish company Ictas. The bridge will connect Croatian territory by traversing the Adriatic Sea’s Mali Ston Bay.
September 22, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Croatia’s roads agency Hrvatske Ceste will soon start evaluating tenders for the controversial Peljeski Bridge project, according to national media.

Bids for construction of the four-lane 2.4km long bridge have been submitted by the 3366 China Road and Bridge Corporation, Austria's 945 Strabag as well as consortia headed by Italy’s 1324 Astaldi and the Turkish company Ictas.

The bridge will connect Croatian territory by traversing the Adriatic Sea’s Mali Ston Bay. Vehicles must currently head from Croatia into Bosnia to re-enter a peninsula that is Croatian territory.

While the bridge will be good for the economy of the Croatian area, Bosnia and Herzegovina has in the past requested that Croatia pause procurement for the project pending discussions between the two countries over the design.

Bosnia’s concern is that the largest ocean-going ships should have access up Ston Bay to Bosnia’s only sea port, Neum, should the Bosnian government decide to upgrade the terminals there.

Discussions have resulted in Croatia accepting design changes – and added costs - suggested by Bosnia, including an increase of bridge's height from 35m to 55m and spacing bridge supports at least 200m apart.

In June, the 2465 European Commission approved €357 million of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy funds to build the bridge – around 85% of the project’s cost. The European Union is also funding supporting infrastructure, such as the construction of access roads, including tunnels, bridges and viaducts, the building of an 8km-long bypass near the town of Ston and upgrading works on the existing road D414. Project completion is set for 20122.

Croatia's prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic, has consistently said that the project will not jeopardise the interests of Bosnia.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Istanbul’s third bridge nearly ready
    February 2, 2015
    Work is progressing well in Turkey on the country’s landmark new bridge over the Bosporus. This will be Istanbul's third bridge, with the opening now planned for the 29th October 2015. The construction work is being carried out by the IC Ictas – Astaldi joint venture, which is handling the project under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The project has an investment value of some US$2.5 billion. The landmark 3rd Bosporus Bridge, or Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, forms the centrepiece of the Northern Marma
    Read More
  • Chinese firms to work on Serbia’s Corridor 11 project
    November 30, 2015
    Serbia and China have signed a memorandum of understanding for construction of two sections of Serbia’s Corridor 11. The MoU was inked in during Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to the Chinese capital Beijing last week. Serbia’s Tanjug news agency reported that Vucic said the deal was worth around €209 million and included construction of the 18km Surcin-Obrenovac bridge. Corridor 11 runs from the Serbian capital Belgrade southwest to the border with Montenegro, another member state of
    Read More
  • Poland: tendering for Lodz's Western Ring-Road attracts 17 offers
    February 10, 2017
    The tender for Lodz's €372 million Western Ring-Road (Zachodnia Obwodnica Lodzi) has attracted 17 bidders, according to Polish media. Construction has been split into two parts: a 12.2km section between the Lodz-Lublinek junction and the Lodz Teofilow junction and a section of 16.3km section from Lodz Teofilow to Slowik, excluding the Emilia junction. Budimex has reportedly made the lowest offer in both contract contests. Polish media also reported that €530 million from the European Union’s Cohesi
    Read More
  • Strabag to upgrade Austria’s A10 Oswaldibergtunnel
    July 13, 2015
    Austrian construction group Strabag will modernise the A10 Oswaldibergtunnel for Asfinag, Austria’s national motorway operator. Work on both tubes, each 4.3km long, will start this month and be finished in June 2017. The €34 million contract includes upgrading the road and tunnel surfaces as well as reinstalling all electrical and mechanical equipment. Thomas Birtel, chief executive of the Strabag Group, said in a statement that the contract will be covered by the group’s construction, engineering and c
    Read More

Highlighted Content