All preconditions for the construction to begin should be fulfilled by the end of the year.
By the end of the month, the contractor for construction of the first phase of the Pelješac Bridge is expected to be known. The decision will be made by a commission for the selection of the contractor, reports 24sata.hr on October 25, 2017.
The contractor selection commission, which includes representatives of investors, the Croatian Roads public company, and the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, will decide by the middle of next week which contractor will implement the first phase of the most significant Croatian construction project. After the decision on the contractor selection is announced, there will be a 10-day period for possible appeals against the decision to be submitted. If everything goes as expected, all the preconditions for the bridge construction should be completed by the end of this year.
Bids for the construction of the first phase of the Pelješac Bridge, whose value together with access roads is estimated at 1.8 billion kunas, were opened on 15 September. Of the eight potential bidders who had passed the first pre-qualification phase, three candidates submitted their binding bids – a joint bid by Astaldi from Italy and the Turkish company IC Ictas; Strabag from Germany, and the Chinese consortium under the name "China Road and Bridge Corporation". All the bids exceeded the estimated cost of the construction, which is 1.8 billion kunas.
The joint bid by Astaldi and the Turkish company was valued at 2.55 billion kunas excluding VAT, or 3.19 billion kunas with VAT, while Stragab's bid reached 2.62 billion kunas excluding VAT or 3.28 billion kunas with VAT. The Chinese consortium offered the lowest bid, with 2.08 billion kunas without VAT or 2.6 billion kunas with VAT. The consortium includes CCCC Highway Consultants, CCCC Second Highway Engineering and CCCC Second Harbour Engineering.
At the opening of the bids, it was announced that the evaluation deadline for the bids was 120 days, but that the review process would be launched immediately to select the contractor as soon as possible.
The project “Road Connection with Southern Dalmatia” foresees the construction of a bridge over the Adriatic Sea in the Malostonski Bay, which will link Dubrovnik-Neretva County with the rest of the Croatia, without the need for vehicles to pass through a short stretch of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bridge will ease the unhindered flow of goods and people throughout the year, especially during the tourist season. The Pelješac Bridge has therefore been declared a project of exceptional strategic importance for the country.
The total value of the project is 526 million euros with VAT included, the value of eligible costs is 420 million euros, of which the EU funds will co-finance 85 percent or 357 million euros. The decision to co-finance the largest Croatian project was made by the European Commission in June this year.
The construction of the bridge, which will be 2.4 kilometres long and 55 metres tall, should take 36 months. The bridge will have four traffic lanes, and the first phase of the construction will include the construction of the bridge itself and access roads.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has protested against the construction of the bridge until the border with Croatia on land and at sea is determined, but Croatia said it would start with the construction regardless.
Translated from 24sata.hr.
