Croatia opens work on EU-funded bridge

Construction formally started Monday in Croatia on an important bridge that the European Union is financing but has been strongly opposed by neighboring Bosnia. The Peljesac Bridge in southern Croatia is designed to connect two swaths of Adriatic Sea coastline and circumvents a small stretch of Bosnia’s territory. The bridge is crucial for Croatia because it connects the European Union country’s two main tourist attractions — the medieval walled town of Dubrovnik and the main port of Split — with the rest of the coastline. Currently, tourists wishing to drive to or from Dubrovnik have to pass through some 15 miles of Bosnia’s coast.