Croatia opens 2.4- km bridge around Bosnia to reach Dubrovnik

Croatia opens Tuesday a long- awaited bridge linking its southern Adriatic coast, including Dubrovnik, with the rest of the country, bypassing a narrow strip of Bosnian territory.

The 2.4- kilometer 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 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,” said Transportation Minister Oleg Butkovic earlier in July.

The opening of the bridge means better accessibility for Dubrovnik and more tourism in Peljesac, Korcula and in southern Croatia at large, he said.

The link will bring an end to the untold hours spent by commuters, merchants and tourists at the Bosnian border.

“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.

It “is a great event for Croatia” and everyone will be invited to the opening ceremony, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plekovic said at a government session last week.

A Chinese consortium led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation won the bid to build the bridge and its access roads in 2018.

Construction of the Peljesac bridge started in July 2018 and was completed on time.