If you take a really close look at the map of the Eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea you will notice how, south of the Croatian city of Split, a narrow strip of land gives Bosnia and Herzegovina its access to the sea. The name of this strip of land is the Neum corridor, after which, the Croatian coast resumes.
Until now, this strip of the Adriatic Sea coastline part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the only land-based communication route between Dubrovnik and the rest of mainland Croatia.
Such territorial configuration, for Croatians and visitors alike, often entails long queues between two custom check points. The congestion and the obstacles do not only affect the flow of citizens and tourists, but the smooth movement of goods and access to services, as well. With the inauguration of the EU co-funded structure, such problems are to become a thing of the past. With its 2,4 km, the bridge reaches across the Mali Ston Bay to the Pelješac peninsula and finally connects the Dubrovnik–Neretva County to the rest of the Dalmatia region.
‘It is good for trade and tourism, likely to create thousands of local jobs, not to mention that the inhabitants of the southernmost part of Croatia have now better access to education or health facilities on mainland Croatia. We often say that Cohesion Policy is the cement that holds the EU together, and here it is: the inhabitants of this part of the EU will definitely feel less isolated onwards. The bridge illustrates our claim that Cohesion Policy doesn’t leave anyone behind,’ says Morena Marinković from the Croatia desk of the European Commission’s Regional and Urban Development Directorate-General (DG REGIO).
The construction costed €420 million, to which the EU contributed by allocating €357 million from Cohesion Policy funds. The bridge is among the largest infrastructures in Croatia currently and one of the most substantial EU infrastructural investment ever.
The EU is also funding supporting infrastructure, such as the construction of access roads, including tunnels, bridges and viaducts, the building of an 8 km-long bypass near the town of Ston and upgrading works on the existing road D414.
Locals too weigh-in on the long-awaited infrastructure: Marija Radić, President of the Shellfish Farmer’s association in Ston says that reuniting the northern and southern parts of Croatia represents a historic moment. For her the inauguration of the bridge brings about economic opportunities and she adds ‘many of the shellfish farmers export outside the country and the bridge will facilitate transportation of goods’.
Inauguration Ceremony
The inauguration on 26 July entailed a day busy with events – a symbolic race, concerts and performances - from early morning until midnight, when Croatian authorities officially opened the bridge to traffic.
From both ends, visitors could get a feel for the new infrastructure by walking until the first pylon, while the central ceremony was held in the evening in the presence of Croatian authorities and European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica.
“Not a luxury but a necessity”
VP Šuica emphasised how much the bridge symbolises ‘the essence of the EU’s existence, in bridging and connecting, in creating permanent links by building them on common values.’
Mrs. Šuica reminded the audience how ‘the majority of the money came from the cohesion policy, making it one of the largest projects ever allocated for infrastructure from the Cohesion Fund, not only in Croatia but also in Europe’.
The ceremony culminated at midnight in spectacular fashion with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković pressing the button that activated 30-metre high fountains across the bridge and fireworks, thus officially opening the bridge and greeting the first motorists to make the crossing.
In connecting the southernmost part of Croatia and Dubrovnik to the rest of mainland Croatia, the bridge proves its strategic importance. PM Plenković highlighted how the bridge is ‘the project of the generation that has achieved such a great act of unification of Croatian territory.’ ‘Not a luxury, but a necessity’ said the Prime Minister, praising the harmonious implementation of the project and stressing how the bridge embodies the key principle of the European Union, the principle of solidarity.’
Facts and figures
The bridge has 13 spans, five of which are 285 meters long, six centrally placed reinforced concrete pylons with a height of 33 meters, and two lanes together with a stop lane that will serve for bridge maintenance.
Besides the above-mentioned bridge’s 2,4 km, the support infrastructure include an additional 32,5 km of new roads. Thus the extended network will reduce the journey between the two ends of the D8 motorway on each side of the Neum corridor by 37 minutes. The trip to reach South Dalmatia from mainland Croatia, which used to take at best 59 minutes will now only take 22 minutes. This will ensure smoother accessibility and more fluid traffic.
In some cases, smoother flow in the area will literally help to save lives. This is what Jadran Kapović, Mountain rescuer in Opuzen says: ‘the bridge allows us to avoid crossing the state border twice every time and it cuts the reaction time of rescue teams like mine’.
However, land traffic was not the only concern to be addressed during the bridge construction. Initially foreseen at an elevation of 44m, the bridge’s height was increased to 55m to allow the passage of commercial ships underneath.
The bridge and parts of the access roads are operational from 26 July 2022 and the entire major project is expected to be completed by end November, 2023 when the last phase, the Ston bypass, will be finalized.
But why a bridge?
Croatia considered a number of alternative solutions to bypass the Neum Corridor bottleneck, such as a highway corridor, a ferry connection or the construction of tunnels.
The bridge solution emerged from a feasibility study analysing the possible alternatives to connect the two parts of the country. It scored highest across a range of criteria that included a cost-benefit analysis, safety and the impact on traffic and the environment compared to the other options.
Moreover, the necessity to preserve Croatia's natural and cultural heritage was an essential criterion taken into consideration at all phases of the project's preparation.
A strategic investment like the Pelješac Bridge reflects the European Commission’s commitment to bring people together and unite territories, thus reinforcing the territorial cohesion of the region and giving a boost to other Western Balkan countries. In fact, besides the reduced travel time and transport costs, the better access to social services and the improved access to local markets, this project improves the liveability and working conditions for local population.
This will likely attract new investors and create opportunities. The gain in terms of quality of life are evident for Marko Žmirak, founder of the Centre for Youth Careers in Dubrovnik. ‘It will make it easier to reach the south of Europe, to reach other destinations in Croatia from Dubrovnik especially for students or entrepreneurs who must travel frequently’. The bridge might even help Croatia join the Schengen countries sooner, he adds.
A model simulation predicts that upon opening about 7,800 vehicles (and up to 14,317 by 2046) will use the bridge and the supporting infrastructure which guarantees safe and toll-free access for all motorized transport.