"New highway in less than 4 years": Commercial contract signed to build Morava Corridor

The entire Morava Corridor, the Pojate-Preljina highway, will be built in Serbia in less than four years. This road will go through the "heart of Serbia" and will be the first digital highway in our country, President Aleksandar Vucic said today.

Vucic said people dreamed about this highway for decades and it is now coming true.

"It is now possible, the contract has been signed and the work starts immediately. The Morava Corridor connects Cacak, Mrcajevci, Adrane, Kraljevo, Vrnjacka Banja, Trstenik, Stopanja, Krusevac, Cicevac and Pojate," said Vucic, adding that the Morava Corridor will connect Corridors 10 and 11.

As he said, one is a European corridor and the other - Corridor 11 - "we will make European."

He emphasized that the Morava Corridor would connect Kopaonik and other surrounding places, and that Raska and Novi Pazar would be much closer to Belgrade and other cities in the country.

As he said, by November 2021, the section to Krusevac will be completed, i.e., to Kosevo, in the length of 28 kilometers. In less than three years the highway Cacak-Kraljevo will be completed, which is an additional 31 kilometers, and what remains to be done in less than four years are the 57 kilometers from Adran to Kosevo, that is, from Kraljevo to Krusevac.

Vucic stressed that this will be the first digital highway, and he widest highway in Serbia so far since it will be wider by a total of 1.6 meters.

He thanked the UK embassy and the US EXIM Bank, as well as Turkey for their great commitment.

The president says that "150 million will be paid from the budget before the end of the year for the project."

He says Bechtel is known for outstanding efficiency, and we will also see how Turkey's Enka works.

Vucic emphasized that the Morava Corridor will attract many tourists to Vrnjacka Banja and that part of Serbia as it will take about an hour and 25 minutes to get from Belgrade to Vrnjacka Banja.

He noted that investors would also start coming more to that part of the country and that young people would be remaining there more.

"I am very happy, this is huge news for us, we are connecting the west of central Serbia with the east of central Serbia. When you do this another job awaits you, we already have some ideas," said Vucic, adding that it's a good contract and an important thing for Serbia.

After the signing of the commercial contract for the construction of the Morava Corridor, Vucic congratulated the Ministry of Construction and the government of Serbia, as well as the Bechtel Enka consortium.

"Above all I congratulate the citizens of Serbia, especially the people who live in Morava, Raska and Rasina districts. They are getting a new life, because a highway means a better life," said Vucic.

Michael Wilkinson, Senior Vice President of Bechtel and General Manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East previously said he was very happy to be in Belgrade on the occasion of the signing of the contract and that this was the company's first project in Serbia.

He said they have been preparing for the project for two years and that the realization begins today.

He added that they have excellent cooperation with the government of Serbia, and stressed that they will build a digital highway.

"I thank Vucic and Mihajlovic for their support. I congratulate the people of Serbia," he said.

The contract with Bechtel is worth 745 million euros (plus 20 percent).

Vucic previously in the day held a meeting with representatives of the company.

The Morava Corridor will be built in the length of 112.3 kilometers, consisting of three sections: Pojate-Krusevac, 27.83 kilometers long, Krusevac-Adrani, 53.88 kilometers, and Adrani-Mrcajevci-Preljina, 30.66 kilometers.

The Pojate-Preljina highway will connect Corridor 10 and the Milos Veliki highway (Corridor 11) and all major towns in the area of ​​central Serbia with a total of about 500,000 people, including Cacak, Kraljevo, Vrnjacka Banja, Trstenik, Krusevac and Cicevac.

During the work on that highway, which will allow a maximum speed of 130 kilometers per hour, a total of 11 loops and 130 other structures will be built, of which 71 bridges, 23 overpasses, 5 underpasses and 31 culverts.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)