€171m spent on highway so far
Works worth €171.2m were carried out by the Chinese China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the main contractor on the priority section of the Bar-Boljare highway, by the end of 2016. This represents 21% of the amount agreed for designing and building this section, said the transport minister Osman Nurkovic, in an interview for Pobjeda.
During 2015, CRBC was paid two advance instalments totalling €161.9m, which CRBC has completely spent so far. By the end of the budget 2016 year, the company was paid an additional €9.3m.
“We are very demanding as investors, so approving individual segments takes some time, but strong commitment and high level of responsibility are required. Given that this is a foreign contractor, lack of being informed about certain European standards and regulations was evident, but it is not a restrictive factor or something that slows down the project implementation,” Nurkovic said.
He added that the CRBC was one of the world’s leading contractors, which would certainly do a good job.
Asked about the major transport projects that were started and completed in the last year, Nurkovic mention the Budva–Becici boulevard, the construction of which solved one of the major bottlenecks on the roads, particularly in the tourist season peak.
He also said that the reconstruction of Tuzi–Bozaj road was completed. Works on several sites on the Podgorica–Cetinje–Budva regional road were carried out within the agreed period, he said.
Nurkovic also added that the Bac landslide on the Berane–Rozaje road was removed. The reconstruction of the Niksic–Vilusi road was also completed.
According to him, this year 30 projects have been planned. A number of them will be completed by the beginning of the summer season.
“This primarily refers to the reconstruction and expansion of the Mekavac tunnel on the Podgorica–Cetinje road, reconstruction of the road Vilusi–Vracenovici–BiH, Berane–Petnjica road and eight bridges on the road Slijepac Most–Pljevlja”, Nurkovic said, adding that the works include the Besnik landslide removal from the Rozaje–Spiljani road and three locations on the Cetinje–Budva regional roads.
Asked whether the Tivat airport would be reconstructed this year, Nurkovic said that negotiations with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the loan for the project were ongoing.
“We expect them to be completed soon, after which the tender for the main design and contractor may be called… The Transport Ministry will do everything possible to complete the works at the optimum time,” Nurkovic added.
Asked whether Montenegro Airlines (MA) would be privatised this year, Nurkovic said that the government has a 99.9% stake in the company and that a potential investor may be offered a 50% minus one share. The remaining part will stay state-owned.
Asked about re-establishing Bar–Bari–Bar line, Nurkovic said that the Barska Plovidba company intensified its work on purchasing new passenger ship in order to re-establish the maritime line between Montenegro and Italy.
Source: CDM
http://cdm.me/english/za-autoput-potrosili-171-miliona-eura-2/
