Completion of the Zenica–Golubinja Highway in Bosnia and Herzegovina

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, JP Autoceste FBiH held a completion ceremony at the Zenica Tunnel, announcing the completion of approximately 20 km of highway on Corridor Vc from Zenica Sjever to Golubinja, with an investment of EUR 693 million (excluding VAT). As of October 29, the section had not yet been officially opened to traffic. With the completion of this section, the continuous highway mileage from Bradina to Golubinja within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina reaches approximately 125 km.

The section consists of four subsections: Poprikuše—Nemila, Nemila—Vranduk, Vranduk—Ponirak, and Ponirak—Vraca. Bridge and tunnel structures account for nearly 75% of the total length, making it one of the highway sections with the most complex construction conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Work quantities disclosed upon completion: 5.1 million cubic meters of earth and rock excavation, 2.78 million cubic meters of backfill utilization, 665,000 cubic meters of concrete poured, 62,250 tonnes of rebar installed, 64,120 meters of reinforced concrete piles used, and 465,000 meters of slope stabilization anchors. Within the 20 km section, tunnels total approximately 9 km, bridges and viaducts approximately 6 km, and open subgrade only approximately 5 km.

The Golubinja Tunnel is located in the Poprikuše—Nemila subsection; the right tube is 3,322 meters long, making it the longest highway tunnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina at present, and the left tube is 3,610 meters long; it was holed through in July 2024. This tunnel is also referred to as the "Bosna Tunnel" in some primary documents, and the 3,659 meters recorded in some sources corresponds to this tunnel. The Zenica Tunnel, 3,370 meters long, was built beneath the Vepar mountain and is being put into use for the first time with this new section—the tunnel had been completed earlier but was impassable because the connecting sections at both ends were unfinished. The Nemila—Vranduk subsection includes the Stara stanica Tunnel; the Vranduk 1 and Vranduk 2 viaducts in the Vranduk—Ponirak subsection total approximately 780 meters.

The total value of the construction contracts for the four subsections is EUR 419.1 million, equivalent to approximately BAM 819.5 million (including tax); the EUR 693 million figure is a tax-exclusive investment estimate, and the two do not represent the same basis. The contractors consist of companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, and Azerbaijan: Euro-Asfalt Sarajevo and Hering Široki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cengiz and HGG of Turkey, and Azvirt of Azerbaijan. Financing comes from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, and grants provided by the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). The EIB disclosed that the contract works for the Poprikuše—Nemila subsection (including the Golubinja Tunnel) amount to EUR 251 million plus VAT, of which EUR 41 million is an EU grant.

Corridor Vc has a total length of 325 km within Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting the Croatian Adriatic port of Ploče with Budapest, Hungary, from north to south; construction within Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 2001. The section completed this time is a key missing link for continuous traffic within the Federation along this corridor.