Major infrastructure investments are taking place in Croatia.
In the period 2014-2020, Croatia has almost ten billion kuna for investments in transport infrastructure from European structural and investment funds, reports N1 on August 22, 2016.
The money will be used for the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure that will facilitate the movement of people and goods, not only within Croatia, but also to other parts of Europe, and improve availability of transport services to isolated cities and areas, announced the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.
Particular emphasis will be put on increasing road safety, improving the management system of railways, urban and regional transport, improving accessibility to inhabited islands and connecting the islands with the mainland. In recent years, large investments were made in the construction and development of motorways and therefore the EU funds will mainly focus on other means of transportation which have been neglected and underdeveloped so far.
In improving access to isolated cities and regions, particularly important is Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the city of Dubrovnik, which will be better connected with the rest of the country through the implementation of major infrastructure projects, construction of the Pelješac Bridge and expansion of the Dubrovnik Airport. This is a coastal area which is almost completely surrounded by the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Croatia is the only country in the European Union that must pass through the territory of other country to reach a part of its own national territory, and therefore we have a strategic interest to connect our entire territory as soon as possible”, said Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Tomislav Tolušić.
The project “Road Connection with Southern Dalmatia”, which includes the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, is co-financed by EU funds in the amount of more than 2.4 billion kuna, which is 78.5 percent of the total value of eligible project costs. The public procurement process has been started and the project should be completed by 2022. The Pelješac Bridge is the largest infrastructure project in Croatia which is financed from EU funds, and also one of the largest bridges in Europe.
The Dubrovnik Airport currently has the key role in ensuring accessibility of the county to tourists, especially taking into account that more than 65 percent of tourists arrive by planes. It is for this reason that the project “Development of the Dubrovnik Airport” is one of the most important infrastructure projects in Croatia, worth almost 1.1 billion kuna, of which 947.4 million kuna have been secured from EU funds. The works started in February 2014 and the completion of the project is expected in mid-2019. This will make the Dubrovnik Airport one of the best and most modern airports in the region.
