Prime Minister Ivo Sanader marked today’s commencement of the construction works for the Pelješac project, which includes the building of the Pelješac Bridge and access roads which will be 15,45 km long. On that occasion he stated that the realization of this project would connect all parts of Croatia into one traffic unit, and that Croatian citizens would not have to take out their passports when traveling towards Dubrovnik.
He also announced the building of the motorway section towards Dubrovnik, from Ploče to Osojnik, in length of 102 km. With this announcement he wiped out all speculations regarding a possible detour of the motorway, after Ploče, towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, Božidar Kalmeta, pointed out that with the realisation of this project the County of Dubrovnik – Neretva would gain a new dimension, and that the Pelješac peninsula with the surrounding islands Korčula and Mljet would be able to experience a more intense tourist and industrial development.
The Pelješac Bridge is one of the largest and most important Government infrastructural projects and according to Minister Kalmeta it should cost somewhere between EUR 250 to 300 million, including the access roads. The project should be finalized by 2008; already ongoing are the preparations for the public tenders regarding the construction works for the bridge.
Kalmeta stated that, because of the Mali Ston Bay, the ecological aspect of this project was very important. Also very important was it to secure the right of innocent passage which Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoyed according to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Luka Bebić, Vice-President of the Croatian Parliament, said that today the dreams of all the citizens in that region were coming true. This project meant the traffic and economic integration of Croatia, and it would also be helpful for the improvement of political relations.
The County Prefect of the Dubrovnik–Neretva County, Ivo Miletić, emphasized how the building of the bridge would finally fulfill the dreams of the population living in the south of Croatia. It meant the physical integration with the rest of the country – a dream existing since "the times of selling out a part of the Croatian coastal territory". According to him this day would always be remembered in history.
"The bridge will be 2.374 meters long, the foundations will be positioned at a depth of 70 meters below sea ground", explained Stjepko Boban, president of the management board of the company Hrvatske Ceste, who is an investor of the project. He added that this was one of largest and most tempting constructional undertakings on an international level.
