ZAGREB, 27 June 2022 - The Pan-European transport corridor Vc's section to Beli Manastir will be opened in late October and Croatia's 88-kilometer-long part of the corridor will be completed in 2024, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said in Osijek on Monday.

After visiting the construction site, he said works were proceeding very well and that after the inauguration of the Osijek-Beli Manastir section, the HAC motorway operator would invite bids for the remaining five kilometers to the Hungarian border, a section estimated at HRK 300 million.

The total investment, including the bypass near Beli Manastir, is HRK 570 million, the minister said.

This transport corridor has big prospects as it will connect Budapest and the southernmost Croatian seaport of Ploče, he said, adding that works on the corridor in Bosnia and Herzegovina are expected to intensify.

HAC director Boris Huzjan said more than 90% of the Osijek-Beli Manastir section had been completed.

The 17.5-kilometer section is worth HRK 495 million, he said, adding that 59 kilometers of the Croatian part of Vc are currently in use and that 83 will be in use after the completion of the Osijek-Beli Manastir section.

Osijek-Baranja County head Ivan Anušić said Vc had a big impact on the City of Osijek and the county as well as on other Slavonia counties. This international route will facilitate the flow of people and goods between Budapest and Ploče, he added.

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March 13, 2022 - Croatian drivers were responsible for more than 1 billion kuna in fines for traffic violations in just 12 months last year. Although there is a decrease in the total number of drivers cited, there is an increase in those who violate the rules for driving under the influence.

More precisely, if we managed to collect all these fines, we would receive 1,133,906,000 kuna for the state budget only from violations caught by police cameras and radars, or from cases in which traffic police officers found drivers violating traffic rules, reports Večernji List.

This amount does not include offenses that preceded traffic accidents. When we state the amount that should be poured into the state budget, we say “should”, because it is likely that about 70 percent of printed misdemeanor warrants will be collected, given that our legal system allows for various manipulation options.

Procrastination and the possibility of intentional "storage in the drawer" have recently been addressed by the Ministry of the Interior by centralizing the sending of notifications of violations, but dragging through the courts is still a pain in our system.

A total of 280,531 Croatian drivers were caught speeding last year, according to the records of the Ministry of the Interior. Depending on the speed achieved, their sins are differently "severe" and, accordingly, the penalties. However, if these fines were actually collected from speeding drivers, they would bring together as much as HRK 386,598,200. There were 5.4 percent fewer of them last year than the year before, but there are still far more of them than drunk and drugged behind the wheel, and the penalties for speeding offenses are in line with the seriousness of the crime itself. Thus, for example, for driving at a speed that is more than 50 km/h higher than allowed, you can earn a fine of up to 20,000 kuna, and the same awaits drivers who have tested the speed limit of cars in public transport.

These two categories of drivers, in addition to drunk and drugged, should - due to the way they endanger themselves and other road users - be subjected to psychiatric expertise, and together based on last year's violations, only the fastest drivers in city traffic (more than 50 km/h above the limit) and those caught at the vehicle limit should have paid HRK 32,145,000 into the budget.

With a total amount of HRK 250,601,700, DUI drivers follow the footsteps of speeding drivers. We are of the opinion that in this category - as well as in the highest categories of speeding - there should be no possibility of evasion from paying the fine, writes Sandra Mikulčić.

Driving under the influence of alcohol, or under the influence of drugs, is considered one of the greatest driving sins, for which even the most severe punishment is not severe enough. For a driver who consciously sits behind the wheel in a state in which he can neither perceive the situation on the road nor control the car he is driving, it is believed that he is not counted, so as such - with a high fine - as the police department should take his driver's license for a long time.

Seriously fast and drunk drivers are followed by those who believe that they can drive without passing the driving test. They should also be deprived of all HRK 98,595,000, down to the last coin, as well as those who drive a vehicle while their driver's license has been revoked (a total of HRK 52,065,000), who do not respect the red light (a total of HRK 19,130,000) or drive in the opposite direction HRK 14,161,000). Thanks to the number of offenses (46,251 drivers), the total amount of fines for using mobile phones while driving is serious, since last year they have accumulated HRK 46,251,000 in fines.

Just a little above the limit

On the other side of the scale are Croatian drivers who did not earn a misdemeanor report by arrogant and reckless violation of regulations, but simply - they were unlucky. For example, it was too late to change lanes. They did not correctly assess whether they were allowed to park somewhere or not. Somewhere we classify the most numerous category of speed offenders - those who are caught driving in the settlement at a speed of 10-20 km/h above the limit. However, a total of 101,865 of them earned HRK 50,932,500 in fines. While this may not seem like much to many, not wearing a seat belt (and such a report was written by police officers 77,833 times last year) is a serious threat to safety. To explain, in this category are Croatian drivers who have not tied themselves up and gambled with their own lives, but also those who have not transported children safely.

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ZAGREB, 18 Feb 2022 - A contract for the construction of the last section of the A11 motorway, from Lekenik to Sisak, valued at HRK 281 million without VAT, was signed on Friday by the Hrvatske Autoceste (HAC) motorway management company and representatives of the Colas Hrvatska and Geotehnika consortium.

The contract was signed by HAC management board president Boris Huzjan, Geotehnika director Igor Horvat, the president of the management board of Colas Hrvatska Siniša Košćak and a member of the board Goran Tuđan, in the presence of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Minister of Construction, Physical Planning and State Assets Darko Horvat and Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivan Celjak.

Plenković underscored that this is a strategic project that will change the dynamic of life in Sisak-Moslavina County.

He added that the 11-kilometer section means a new development impulse to the entire county and in particular for the towns of Sisak and Petrinja.

The funds for the HRK 281 million project will be provided by HAC itself and it is a significant investment for Croatia's GDP, Plenković said, adding that the Pelješac Bridge will be completed with its access roads by the end of the year. By the end of the government's term, the 5C corridor and the Istria Y motorway should be completed, together with the second pipe of the Učka tunnel.

Plenković said that the government plans to invest HRK 45 billion in transport infrastructure in the coming years. Of that amount, HRK 22 billion is for railways, HRK 15 billion is for roads, HRK 3 billion is for ports, and HRK 5 billion is for other forms of transport.

Celjak believes the completion of the motorway will mean a lot for the economy and development in his county. The works are expected to be completed in the next two years.

Minister Butković recalled that HAC advertised the tender and that this is the first contract and investment with its own money.

Following an initial tender in October 2021, the Austrian Strabag company appealed, the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement (DKOM)  annulled the selection of the Colas Hrvatska and Geotehnika consortium, and the call for tenders was repeated.

HAC announced on 28 January that it had once again selected the Colas Hrvatska and Geotehnika consortium's bid of HRK 281.34 million without VAT to construct the Lekenik-Sisak section of the A11 Zagreb-Sisak motorway as the most favorable bid.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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February 13, 2022 - HAC (Croatian Highways) is looking for a team of three people to work as security guards and monitor Krk bridge for one year, and plans to pay a total of 850,000 kuna and provide all the necessary amenities.

The job lasts 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, of course, not for the same person, but for several of them, whose mission it is to keep safe the connection between the mainland and Croatia's largest island. Croatian Motorways (HAC) are looking for security guards who will monitor Krk bridge and make sure everything is in order for 12 months, from the houses where tolls were paid until last June to the "other side", and the "gage" to be paid 850 thousand kuna will start in April, reports Večernji List.

As many as 26,280 hours are expected to be done by a team of three people, who will record their arrivals and departures electronically, in order for the employer to ensure that these hours are actually worked, and the company from which the security guards will arrive must provide and real-time digital surveillance of security guards' detours. Why? So that "potential incidents" could be reported at the same time, and a picture of them could arrive. Everything that is done must be submitted to HAC in a report by the 5th of each month, and the Motorways will provide the "guardians" of the bridge less than a kilometer and a half long with an equipped working room with heating, electricity, telephone, toilet, and dressing space”.

''The Krk Bridge is a protected object of national importance, which needs to be safeguarded in order to prevent illegal actions directed towards it'', HAC explains. They also mentioned that "no devices and equipment for technical protection have been installed on the Krk Bridge", so it is "necessary to ensure physical protection, which includes the presence of persons performing protection and guarding activities". Or, in other words, the bridge does not have cameras, so surveillance must be done with the eyes.

''Since HAC does not have its own capacity to perform physical surveillance and protection, it is necessary to provide it from the outside, in compliance with regulations (Law on Private Protection and Ordinance on the conditions and manner of implementation of physical protection)'', they added.

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ZAGREB, 10 June 2021 - Croatia's government on Thursday decided not to increase motorway toll fares this summer after it did not apply the seasonal increase also in the summer of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lower motorway toll prices will remain in force in a bid to contribute to efforts to boost the business activity in the tourism and transport sectors.

Thus, the state-run motorway operator HAC has been authorized not to apply the summer price list between 15 June and 14 September when motorway toll fares are 10% higher than out of the season. 

The financial effect of this measure is estimated at HRK 77.5 million, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said.SFor the latest news from Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 29, 2021 - From Metković to Dubrovnik, 47 kilometers of full-profile motorways and another 14.7 km of connecting roads will be built. The works' estimated value is 9.1 billion kunas or 1.2 billion euros, Večernji List writes on Monday. 

This makes this section the most expensive highway in Croatia - a kilometer will cost about 26 million euros, or about 193 million kunas, according to Večernji List. The construction should be completed by 2029.

HAC explains that after obtaining the location permit, contracting the development of the main and detailed projects and obtaining the construction permits will follow. The planned start of construction is 2024, and the works should be completed by 2029.

The highway project from Metković to Dubrovnik is divided into two sections. The first section is the Metković - Pelješac - Duboka junction, about 22 km long, which includes the construction of 17.5 kilometers of motorways from Metković to the Pelješac junction and 4.45 km of highway from the Pelješac to the Duboka junction.

The second section goes from the Rudine junction to the Osojnik junction, and it includes the expressway from the Ston junction to the Doli junction (5.5 km) and the connecting road Slano junction to DC8 (4.7 km). The motorway section from the Rudine junction to the Osojnik junction is 29.5 kilometers long, and it includes the construction of the connection of the Rudine junction to the existing road network.

These two sections of the motorway will continue on the access expressways on Pelješac and the Pelješac Bridge.

The highway construction from Metković to Dubrovnik will be the most expensive so far due to the numerous facilities on it and access roads and junctions. According to the project task, which is part of the tender documentation, on the route of the first section, which is 17.5 kilometers long on the left side of the highway, there are as many as 12,850 meters of facilities, which is 73 percent of the total length of the route. On the right side of that section is 67 percent of the total route length.

On the second section, 27.5 km long, there are 13,575 meters of facilities on the left side, which is 49 percent of the route's total length. On the right side, the total length of facilities is 14,345 meters, 52 percent of the total route length, reports Večernji list.

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