The Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Srpska, Nedeljko Ćorić, said that the intention of the Republic of Srpska was to complete the section of the Bijeljina-Rača motorway by 2025, and to start construction of the airport in Trebinje next year.

In an interview for Srna, Ćorić reminded that it were construction of the Belgrade-Banja Luka motorway and construction of Trebinje airport that had been defined as strategic goals of joint action at the joint session of the governments of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia.

– Regarding the schedule of motorway construction, I am pleased with the commitment of the Government of Serbia to fully finance the construction of the Rača-Bijeljina section. It is a 20-kilometer section of estimated value of EUR 134 million – noted Ćorić.

According to him, the Republic of Srpska, for its part, has created all the preconditions for announcing a tendering procedure covering the design and construction of this section.

– What makes me happy is that construction of the bridge on the Sava River is unfolding in line with the plans and it will certainly be completed already in the middle of the next year – the line minister noted.

Ćorić said that activities were ongoing in parallel on motorway sections from Vukosavlje to Brčko and from Brčko to Bijeljina, and announced that a new public call for those sections would be issued soon.

He says that it is unknown to what extent Brčko District will follow the schedule of motorway construction, given that they have not yet defined even the basic steps they must take to create the preconditions for announcing a public tender for the design and construction of the section passing through the District.

Ćorić added that land expropriation on the Bijeljina-Brčko section had been largely completed, and that it would continue on the section from Vukosavlje to the border with the District, where the problem of mined terrain was currently being solved.

Speaking about other activities of the company Republic of Srpska Motorways, Ćorić said that they were focused on Corridor Vc, and reminded that the agreement on continuation of construction of the Doboj-Putnikovo Brdo section was signed some fifteen days ago.

– I think that construction on that section will start in the next seven days.
The second most important construction site at the moment is the bridge in Gradiška and we are glad that this work is nearing completion. According to the information I have, about 60 percent of the works on the bridge have been completed. Until May 2022, we will have an operational bridge – said Ćorić.

He assigned special importance to the fact that the Croatian side had undertaken its activities and selected the most favorable bidder for the construction of a part of the road from the border with BiH to Okučani.

Regarding the airport in Trebinje, Ćorić noted that the public call for preparation of project technical documentation had been closed, and that selection of the most favorable bidder was underway.

– The budget of the Republic of Serbia has allocated a portion of funds for land expropriation, which we will start already this year. I hope that by the end of the year we can complete all necessary procedures so that we can start building the airport already next year – said Ćorić.

Speaking about the operation of Banja Luka Airport, Ćorić said that the pandemic had affected significantly the achieved results, but also the plans of this company.

– About 75 percent of the traffic related to passenger transport has been stopped, and even the regular Banja Luka-Belgrade line was suspended for three months. What makes us happy is that this year we have signed another contract with Wizz Air, a large global corporation, which will open five new lines from Banja Luka, while Ryan Air is already defining two new lines – Ćorić emphasized.

The goal that the Ministry strives for, claims Ćorić, is for Banja Luka Airport to reach the number of 500,000 passengers annually.

– I think that is an achievable goal, but it requires dedicated work not only of the management of this company, but of all bodies that can contribute in any way to a better status of Banja Luka Airport, and also to the traffic of goods and passengers – said Ćorić.

He added that negotiations were underway with some carriers regarding cargo traffic, and that there were some doubts about customs clearance of goods and further transport of goods arriving at Banja Luka Airport.

– It is a huge job that cannot be seen at this moment, but it must be completed for the final goals to be reached – Ćorić noted.

He said that construction of the road from Brod na Drini to Šćepan Polje was among the long-awaited and increasingly discussed projects lately.

– As I was informed, the Council of Ministers has provided funding for construction of the bridge on the Tara, for which part of the funding will have to be provided by Montenegro, as well as for construction of the border crossing. An agreement will be signed between BiH and Montenegro in June to define the manner of selecting the most favorable bidder – explained Ćorić.

He noted that significant grant funding was also expected for construction of this road, and added that the plan was to complete all necessary work on the documentation by the end of the year, and to define financing and announce a tender for construction next year.

– Thus we will tackle that section which is a real problem not only for the people living in Foča, but a problem of communication between Sarajevo and Podgorica in general – Ćorić pointed out.

Regarding state-owned companies, Ćorić said that at this moment, perhaps the process of restructuring the Republic of Srpska Railways was the most important.

This company, said Ćorić, must be ready to respond to the time to come, in which significant transport will be redirected to railways.

– Our goal is to create a healthy company, which will be market-oriented and able to meet the needs of both the economy and the population, as well as the needs of employees. The restructuring process is moving in the right direction, as confirmed by the World Bank in its reports – Ćorić emphasized.

He noted that the pace dictated by the Ministry of Transport and Communications at this moment might be a little tiring for the state-owned companies under its direct jurisdiction and control, and said that there were issues that had to be resolved better.

– What needs to be significantly improved is the quality of works performed and operation of supervisory bodies. The Ministry will not allow anyone, in any way, to do other than what has been defined by terms of reference – said Ćorić.

Source: Srna

Photo: RTRS