Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Croatia opens long-awaited bridge bypassing Bosnia

Croatia opens long-awaited bridge bypassing Bosnia

The Chinese-built project connects the southern Adriatic coast to the rest of the country.

Croatia has opened a long-awaited bridge linking its southern Adriatic coast, including the popular tourist destination of Dubrovnik, with the rest of the country, bypassing a narrow strip of Bosnian territory.

The 2.4km (1.5-mile) span reaches out from the Croatian mainland to the Peljesac peninsula that connects with the southern part of Croatia’s coastline nestled between the sea and the Dinaric Alps.

The opening of the bridge on Tuesday comes as Croatia is angling for a tourism rebound this year as it hopes to attract pre-pandemic levels of visitors.


“The importance of the bridge is enormous, and it’s not only emotional due to the connection of Croatia’s territory, but also for tourism and the economy in general,” transport minister Oleg Butkovic said earlier this month.

The link will bring an end to the untold hours spent by commuters, merchants and tourists at the Bosnia and Herzegovina border and is one of the country’s most ambitious infrastructure projects since Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

It was the bloody dissolution of the federation, however, that left a patchwork of divisions across the Balkans, with the frontiers between its six former republics transformed into international borders.

Bosnia maintained its coastal access in the end, but its small outlet leading to the Adriatic Sea cut right through Croatia.

As a result, approximately 90,000 people, including residents in Dubrovnik, remained cut off from the rest of the country until now.

The hard border brought lines and red tape for traders, and headaches for tourists hoping to get south by road.

“It is indeed a historic project for Croatia,” said Sabina Mikulic, owner of a hotel, glamping site, and winery in Orebic – the peninsula’s largest town.

Inhabitants of the picturesque region of red vines, pebble beaches and oyster farms are looking forward to the end of their geographic isolation caused by the Bosnian border.

The hours-long waits at the border and fears over missing the day’s last ferry will now become a thing of the past, they say.

“It was really exhausting and made people living here bitter,” Mikulic told AFP news agency.

A photograph shows a view of the bridge in the background on July 18, 2022


EU funded, Chinese made


The opening of the bridge has been a long time coming and not without controversy.

Croatia first attempted building the bridge in 2007, only for the project to stall five years later due to budgetary constraints.

In 2017, the European Union – which Croatia joined in 2013 – allocated 357 million euros ($365m), roughly 85 percent of the cost.

A Chinese firm was selected in 2018 to build the bridge – marking the first significant Chinese involvement in an infrastructure project in Croatia.

But not all were happy with the bridge’s construction, with officials in Bosnia claiming it would hamper its maritime access by preventing high-tonnage vessels from entering its lone port.

The Croatian government eventually agreed to increase the height of the bridge to 55m (181 feet) in an attempt to quell the dispute, even though this increased the cost of the structure.

Croatia, a country of 3.8 million people, attracts millions of tourists every year hoping to soak up the sun along its stunning coast dappled with more than 1,000 islands and islets.

Outside of tourism, the bridge will likely serve as a boon for businesses and traders as well.

For decades, oyster farmer Mario Radibratovic was subjected to hours of extra travel to bring his perishable shellfish north to market due to waiting times at the border.

But with the opening of the bridge, the journey north will shrink dramatically.

For the 57-year-old, the opening of the bridge will bring “immeasurable relief”.

“We are finally becoming part of Croatia,” Radibratovic, who farms oysters and mussels in the village of Mali Ston, told AFP.

“Until now we felt like second-class citizens.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×