Croatia completes mega construction project - holidaymakers can now save massive amounts of time

Created: 08/03/2022 05:03

By: Patrick Huljina

The Peljesac Bridge was a dream for many generations in Croatia - now it has come true.

It connects two separate parts of the country.

Komarna - "We have made the Croatian dream come true," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the inauguration ceremony of the Peljesac Bridge on Tuesday evening (July 26).

It is a "historic day" for the country, many generations have longed for this moment.

The celebrations for the inauguration of the strategically important transport project were correspondingly large.

Croatia celebrates opening of Peljesac Bridge: "Historic Day" - holidaymakers benefit

The newly opened bridge will connect two previously separate parts of Croatia: the Dalmatian mainland and the Peljesac peninsula.

Between the two parts of the country lies a 22-kilometer-long coastal strip that belongs to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

So far, this meant both commuters and tourists who wanted to travel to the southernmost part of Croatia - including the popular holiday destination Dubrovnik: border controls.

The two border crossings between the EU country Croatia and the neighboring non-EU country have repeatedly caused long traffic jams in the past.

The new bridge should now eliminate these for both holidaymakers in Croatia and commuters on their way to southern Croatia and the Peljesac Peninsula.

A significant time saving is expected.

In the past, the approximately 600-kilometer drive from the Croatian capital of Zagreb to Dubrovnik often took well over six hours.

The Peljesac Bridge also brings great simplifications for Croatian passenger and freight traffic.

The Peljesac Bridge was ceremonially opened on July 26th.

© Uncredited/dpa

Croatia: Peljesac Bridge connects two previously separate parts of the country

The construction resting on reinforced concrete pylons almost 100 meters high is 2.4 kilometers long.

It spans the bay of Mali Ston at a height of up to 55 meters.

This means that even large cruise ships can pass under the bridge.

The structure connects the town of Komarna on the mainland with the town of Brijesta on the Peljesac peninsula.

The cost of building the Peljesac Bridge was 418 million euros, a large part of which was paid for by the EU.

The construction period was three years, Croatia needed another year for the construction of the junctions and access roads.

The bridge was built by the Chinese state-owned company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which won a tender against European competitors.

In a video message, China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang expressed hope that the successful project would improve cooperation between China and Croatia and between China and the EU in the future.