We are very satisfied with the realization of the Rijeka Gateway Project (RGP) since there are now delays, stated today the mayor of the city of Rijeka Vojko Obersnel at a meeting with the representatives of the World Bank.
He pointed out that the Project includes solutions for some of the port warehouses which were declared cultural heritage. Those warehouses were exempted from being torn down, and for that it was necessary to make up for the ‘lost’ space by adding new areas to the Project and by strewing the coast with solid material.
The World Bank representatives perform regular inspections of RGP, for which that bank secured a loan of USD 155 million. Part of the loan is intended for the modernization and reconstruction of the existing port and the other part will be used for the construction and reconstruction of the access roads. Besides the loan, the Project is also being financed by money coming from the state budget.
Gerard Olivier, head of the Project at the World Bank, announced yesterday, in the Rijeka Port Authority headquarters, the possibility of proceeding with the RGP by launching a Rijeka Gateway Project 2. That second project is still under discussion and the amount of a second loan is still not defined.
Olivier pointed out that this visit was important in order to analyze the current state of the Project in order to plan the opening of the RGP2.
“Currently, we are considering the option of offering an integral project”, he added. He also explained that they were paying very much attention to the process of connecting, through this Project, the city of Rijeka with neighboring countries like Italy and Hungary.
Also very important, according to Olivier, would be to join the interests of the Port Authority, the Rijeka port, the City Authority and the port syndicates.
He concluded in the end that the first results would be visible, very soon, mostly when it comes to the construction of access roads.