Highway to Link Serbia and Republika Srpska

Milutin Mrkonjic (FoNet archive)

At a conference after meeting Republika Srpska's minister of transport, Nedeljko Cubrilovic, Mrkonjic said that the highway, which will be about 200 kilometres long, will connect Pan European Corridor 10 with Visegrad in Republika Srpska.

"Documentation and expropriation will be completed next year, and construction will begin in 2011," Beta news agency quoted Mrkonjic as saying. He added that Serbia will try to get a loan from international financial institutions to provide money for the construction.

The construction of the first 60 kilometers of highway from Pozega to Kotroman will cost about 830 million euros, including 60 bridges, 20 tunnels and 13 overpasses. Governments of the two countries are to provide money for the project.

Republika Srpska's side supports the highway construction. Cubrilovic expressed his belief that no one in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has anything against the construction of the highway.

"Nobody has anything against any travel direction in BiH. It's always easy to agree on such things," he said.

Cubrilovic also announced that Republika Srpska's carrier "Sky Srpska" will purchase another two aircraft and establish air traffic routes between Banja Luka and Belgrade.

Earlier, Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik stated that this project is a “great chance for development for both Serbia and RS, that is, Bosnia-Herzegovina."