September 25, 2022 - Zadar County has included the project of connecting the island of Pašman to the mainland in the spatial plan as one of their priorities. The will is there, but it is not yet known how and from where this project would be financed, Hina was told by the Ministry of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure.

As reported by Poslovni, the ministry points out that for the project of connecting the island of Pašman to the mainland, a feasibility study with a cost-benefit analysis was prepared in 2021 for the project "Bridge to mainland - island of Pašman with access roads to the bridge." Based on the demand analysis of the traffic model, the main goal of the study was to select the best option for connecting the island of Pašman and the mainland.

According to the ministry, the study evaluated building a beam bridge as the best option, consisting of two parts, the first of which would go from Pašman to the islet of Ričul, and from Ričul to the mainland. The estimated value of the project is almost HRK 452 million.

On the mainland side, the bridge should be connected by state road D8 with the future bypass Zadar - Pakoštane, and the route exits to the very bank of the Pašman channel at the position of cape Tukljača.

From the mainland, the planned route goes to the islet of Ričul, about 400 meters from the coast, and continues towards Pašman, crossing the Pašman channel in a length of about 1400 meters. On the island of Pašman, the route continues, via the junction, to the state road D110, thus connecting the bridge with the main road of the islands of Pašman and Ugljan. The bridge's total length would be 2203 and a half meters, and the construction, according to the projections, would last about three years.

The recently opened Pelješac Bridge is slightly more than 2,400 meters long. The project's total value is estimated at 420 million euros, including the construction of the bridge, access roads, and the Ston bypass.

"The fact is that Zadar County has included the mentioned project in the spatial plan as one of the priorities and that the preparation of the documentation has started; however, we would like to note that the mentioned pre-feasibility study needs to be elaborated in more detail, especially concerning the preparation of technical documentation, i.e., more detailed elaboration of investment and operational costs," said the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure. They also point out that the future source of financing should be determined for the chosen option, given that it is not eligible for co-financing from EU funds, so in this context, they cannot say anything more at the moment.

By the way, the Pašman - mainland bridge, for which the Municipality of Pašman received the support of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, is one of the most important projects for the island of Pašman, but also for Ugljan, which is connected to Pašman by a smaller bridge. The Ministry of Transport financed the pre-feasibility study with HRK 700,000, prepared by the international company Ernst & Young Consulting.

Interestingly, representatives of the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation, which built the Pelješki bridge within the given deadline, once visited the municipality of Pašman to learn about the possibilities of building a bridge that would connect Pašman to the mainland. The representatives of the Chinese company said then that the bridge could be completed relatively quickly with a professional and thoughtful project. It is also not unimportant that the rocky bottom and suitable depth of about 13 meters on average would make this bridge much cheaper than the Pelješac one.

If it is built, the bridge could stop the depopulation of the two islands, and the price of land would increase, but some residents fear that the scenario of the rebuilt Vir could happen, where the bridge did not bring much good in terms of tourism.

The municipality of Pašman has embarked on a project to build the Pašman - mainland bridge, which for all islanders means an increase in the quality of life through a better connection with the mainland and a significant positive impact on the economy of the entire municipality, said the former mayor of the municipality of Pašman, Krešimir Ćosić, who believes that this project will be successful. For the municipality of Pašman, it is a strategic project, the realisation of which would provide even better opportunities for residents to stay in their hometowns. Ćosić recently said that only the islands connected to the mainland have an increase in population and that the construction of a permanent link would lead to new employment and lower living costs on the island.

Therefore, the Pašman bridge would connect the island of Ugljan with the mainland since Ugljan and Pašman, which together have about 8,000 residents, are already connected by the mentioned bridge in Ždrelac. There is even a detailed bridge construction project, and complete technical documentation made twenty years ago at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb.

The mayor of the municipality of Kukljica, one of the most developed tourist towns in Ugljan, Marin Boško, points out that in his town, there are more people in favour of the construction of the bridge than against it. "There are more pros for that construction than cons," said Boško for Hina. He points out that the prices of land and real estate would rise, and depopulation would probably stop in the long term.

As the main problem of the eventual construction of the Pašman Bridge, he points out the infrastructure that would not be able to handle significantly more tourists on the islands. "Infrastructure would have to be strengthened on both islands - both on Pašman and Ugljan, and by that, I mean water infrastructure, sewage, better access roads," said Boško, adding that the Pašman bridge would bring a lot of good, not only to tourism, which the bridge would further develop. "If we had a bridge, we could reach the mainland at any time, emergencies would not depend on ferries, and more people from the island could work on the mainland and travel more easily every day," concluded Boško.

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April 6, 2022 – Most of the projects that are being implemented in the city of Osijek are financed with extra-budgetary European and national money.

As Lokalni.hr writes, Osijek has become a large construction site. There is no part of the city without cranes and machines everywhere. At the moment, projects worth a billion kuna are being implemented. Most of them are financed by extra-budgetary money, both European and national.

An underpass is being built on Čepinska, which will solve traffic problems that are more than half a decade old. Reconstruction is underway at the Copacabana beach, which will provide Osijek with its first real Olympic swimming pool. The tram line is also being reconstructed, which is a prerequisite for the introduction of low-floor trams. The baroque core of the Fortress is being restored. The most modern wastewater treatment plant is being built in Nemetin. The City of Osijek has donated land to the Osijek-Baranja County in the Nemetin Economic Zone which will serve for the construction of the regional distribution centre for fruit and vegetables. The construction of the Economic Centre is also underway, with the most modern fair space for Osijek.

“The city of Osijek has taken big steps forward. There are many projects. We have listed only the largest. But we don't mean to stop there. We are ready to apply for projects worth HRK 440 million with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The documentation has been prepared. We paid special attention to the construction of new kindergartens, as well as the extension of the existing ones and the expansion of schools”, says the mayor of Osijek, Ivan Radić.

One of the projects planned for application with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is the already mentioned reconstruction of the Copacabana beach, for which the city budgeted 34,743,875 kuna in 2022. The list of the projects further contains arrangements of the Cultural Centre with a budget of HRK 7,884,209, as well as the reconstruction of Trpimirova Street from Vukovarska to the Drava River with roundabouts and pedestrian/bicycle underpasses – the preparation of the project documentation.

Another important project is the construction of road, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure in the function of developing public transport and promoting zero-emission transport to improve flow, eliminate bottlenecks and increase traffic safety in the City of Osijek, worth 35 million kuna. It integrates three transport infrastructure construction projects. One of them is the construction of an intra-zone street in Jug 2 in Osijek with traffic areas, mixed sewerage, and public lighting from Opatijska to Medulinska street. Another is the reconstruction of a pedestrian (and bicycle) bridge over the Drava river in Osijek, while the third is the reconstruction of Bizovačka and Osječka streets in Josipovac.

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April 5, 2022 – Minister Oleg Butković visited the Vukovar-Srijem County on Monday, where he held meetings discussing the construction of the Srijem border thoroughfare.

As Glas Slavonije writes, the project will be completed within a maximum of four years.

The Minister of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković paid a working visit to Vukovar-Srijem County on Monday, held a meeting in Ilok with the representatives of the County, and attended the inaugural conference of the project "Construction of the Apševac and Lipovac Thoroughfares".

This is a project by Hrvatske Ceste, which represents the first of the remaining three phases of the Srijem Border Thoroughfare construction project, and includes the construction of a road that will bypass the D57 section of the state road through the villages of Apševci and Lipovac. The grant agreement was signed in March last year, with the total eligible costs of the project amounting to 106 million kuna.

"We have secured funds for one of the most important infrastructure projects in this area, which is being implemented in phases. A few years ago, looking for an opportunity to get started, we obtained the necessary European funds and signed a contract as soon as we had building permits. Our plan is to obtain all building permits by the end of this year, and it is up to Hrvatske Ceste to speed up this process. We will ask for either European funding or as a state take charge of this and some other projects, and therefore I cannot say exactly when the Srijem Border Thoroughfare will be completed", said Butković, explaining that the duration of construction is affected by complaints and tenders, that is, something that is beyond the power of the minister, but that he will give strong support to the project as a matter of priority. He emphasized that the realization of this project involves much more than the transport infrastructure itself, given that construction is of importance for the demography as well as security of eastern Croatia, so he will try to do as much as possible during the mandate of this Government.

"We will not finish everything in two years, it is impossible, but I believe that it will be realized in four years at most. It was previously estimated that the entire project will cost one billion kuna, but we are witnessing an increase in the prices of energy and materials, which makes it difficult to calculate how much it will amount to", stated Butković.

The Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Damir Dekanić emphasized that they discussed several strategic projects that will deal with the development of the economy and the return, i.e. the staying of the population in the Vukovar-Srijem County.

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21 March 2022 - The HRK 267 million project for upgrading Osijek's tram infrastructure was launched on Monday in that eastern Croatian city and the works are expected to be completed within the next two years.

Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić said that the project includes the adaptation to low-floor trams, which involves the reconstructing of 9.5 kilometres of tram tracks, the entire contact grid and 23 tram stops which will be adjusted for use by disabled persons.

A total of HRK 200 million (€27 million) will be ensured from EU funds while the remainder will be secured by the state government and Osijek City authorities. The project is aimed at increasing the number of commuters on public city transport, developing a modern and comfortable public transport means and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, Mayor Radić said.

He underscored that this is the first large investment in the city's tram infrastructure in 14 years.

The director of the Osijek City Passenger Transport company, Dejan Rusmirović explained that the project involves the reconstruction of tram tracks, the contact grid and tram stops. It envisages laying 6.5 kilometres of underground cables and the reconstruction of two rectifier stations as well as the construction of a completely new station.

Rusmirović underscored that the project also involves the construction of a new tram depot and extending tram tracks to new locations.

We are currently at the stage of preparing the necessary documents which will also be funded from EU funds and in cooperation with the state government and county and city authorities. The low-floor trams are expected to be delivered over the next three years and our project foresees 24 new trams, ten in the initial phase and then the remaining 14, added the director..

ZAGREB, 8 Feb 2022 - An HRK 97 million agreement on the reconstruction of a state road and the construction of the wastewater system in the town of Sveti Ivan Žabno was signed in that northeastern Croatian town on Tuesday.

Mayor Nenad Bošnjak hailed the investment, and said that this was a historic day for the community that will get renovated road infrastructure and new wastewater infrastructure.

The state-run Hrvatske Ceste road operator will invest HRK 57 million in this project.

The director-general of the Hrvatske Vode water management company said that 550 households with 1,260 members would be connected to the sewerage.

Currently, the state authorities are implementing 60 infrastructure projects in the water management sector, and the investments are estimated at two billion euros, said Mario Šiljeg, state secretary of the economy and sustainable development ministry.

(€1 = HRK 7.52)

ZAGREB, 24 Jan 2022 - Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković on Monday held talks with Zadar County Prefect Božidar Longin  on to the most important transport and infrastructure projects in that county including a connecting four-lane road from the Zadar 1 exit on the motorway.

After the meeting, Butković visited the construction site on the Zadar waterfront which is being reconstructed and said that this was yet another large project in building port infrastructure along with the first European project and a new port in Tkon and Sali.

"This is a very important project and Zadar County is one of the more successful. Preparations are underway and new financing is being negotiated for the seaports at Preko and Biograd. The Biograd port, similar to the one in Gaženica, will transfer traffic while the Preko port will get a new breakwater," said Butković.

"During the meeting, there was talk about a maritime route between Zadar and Ancona which needs to be restored because these are the two closest points on both sides of the Adriatic and Jadrolinija recently shut down that line because it wasn't feasible. At the same time, the line from Split has survived because it is subsidised. The connection with Ancona is important primarily due to freight transport but also for passenger transport," Longin underscored. Minister Butković promised to talk about this issue with Jadrolinija director David Sopta.

There was also talk about amendments to the county's physical plan which are underway and of identifying priorities of all road directions, railway routes, the Zadar airport and port traffic.

ZAGREB, 23 July 2021 - The construction of water supply and drainage infrastructure in the Jelsa-Vrboska-Basina-Stari Grad agglomeration on Hvar island, a project worth HRK 437 million (€58.2m), will be completed by the end of 2023, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said during a visit to this southern Adriatic island on Friday.

The project, co-financed by the European Union, includes the construction of a drainage system and two waste-water treatment facilities as well as the reconstruction of the water supply network.

Plenković visited a construction site where the work began in February.

The Mayor of Jelsa, Nikša Peronja, said that the agglomeration project was very important for the central part of the island because its implementation was a condition for the development of tourism.

In Jelsa, Plenković met with the heads of all local government units on the island. "We discussed all essential development projects for Hvar island, notably those relating to the modernisation of the road infrastructure."

The prime minister noted that during the COVID-19 crisis HRK 55 million (€7.3m) had been disbursed for the wages of workers in Hvar, Stari Grad, Jelsa and Sućuraj.

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ZAGREB, 4 March, 2021 - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Nataša Tramišak met with Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbović on Thursday to discuss an intervention plan for the reconstruction of the city after a devastating earthquake in December, after which a group of disgruntled people verbally attacked the mayor.

The intervention plan is aimed at the social and economic regeneration of small towns, it was said.

The minister said Petrinja had been implementing HRK 140 million worth of EU-funded projects until 2020 and that several more remained to be contracted.

She said the goal was to utilise the funds available until the end of 2023 in the Petrinja area and invest in infrastructure and ongoing projects.

Tramišak said €111 million had been ensured for building new state-owned flats in Petrinja, Sisak, Glina and other towns affected by the earthquake.

If standardised buildings and houses will be built, construction could begin soon, she added.

Mayor Dumbović said he was satisfied with the solutions proposed and that the Culture Ministry had promised that Petrinja would look as it did before the earthquake. 

Mayor verbally attacked by protesters

Several dozen protesters rallied outside the venue of the meeting, complaining about the lack of transparency in decisions concerning the right to reconstruction aid and about the distribution of humanitarian aid.

The demonstrators blocked the exit of the fire station where the meeting was taking place, preventing the mayor's car from leaving the venue and announcing new protests.

Dumbović told the RTL commercial television channel in the evening that the incident was politically motivated. Asked who was behind the demonstration, he named Luca Gašpar Šako, the local coordinator of the opposition Bridge party.

"They are not aware of the damage individuals are doing to Petrinja. Petrinja did not deserve this. It turns out that we are lawless cowboys wanting to achieve something by force," the mayor said. 

As Morski writes on the 30th of May, 2020, in Opuzen, contracts were signed for the development of water utility infrastructure in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. The contracts refer to projects in areas in the Neretva area, including Kula Norinska, Opuzen and Slivno, as well as Ston, the islands of Lopud and Mljet, and Gruda and Orebic, and the total value stands at a massive 158 million kuna without VAT.

The contracts were signed by the General Manager of Hrvatske vode (Croatian waters) Zoran Djurokovic with the directors of the utility companies of Dubrovnik and Opuzen and the municipalities of Kula Norinska, Ston, Slivno, Mljet, Konavle and Orebic.

Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy Tomislav Coric expressed his satisfaction with the fact that local self-government units from Dubrovnik-Neretva County were agile enough to prepare everything and thus enable the continuation of these important projects which will cover the Neretva area and beyond, extending even to the aforementioned southern Dalmatian islands.

Now, at a time when Croatia is far from in an enviable economic position as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and when the continuation of many previously planned investments has been called into question, these projects and those similar to them are very important, both due to the fact that in this way, construction operations will be launched, and also due to the fact that they're going in the direction of improving the living standards of our citizens. This is a difficult job and a job that takes time and will not end until all of our fellow citizens have a connection to the public supply system and the public drainage system, and I'm sure that we'll complete it successfully,'' said Coric.

Branko Bacic MP agreed with the fact that this is a long and extensive process, recalling the fact that fourteen years ago, Opuzen Mayor Ivo Mihaljevic spoke about the need to complete the wastewater treatment system. He thanked Minister Coric and the General Manager of Hrvatske vode, Zoran Djurokovic for the fact that these projects rely on the national component, ie the funds from Hrvatske vode, which should be especially valued in a situation where the Croatian economy is suffering the consequences caused by the coronavirus crisis.

''These projects are important for our municipalities and cities, they're important for water protection, for serious agriculture and for environmental protection, and that's why I'd like thank the Minister once again,'' said Bacic.

Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic stated that this was another step forward in solving the problems in the Neretva and wider southern Dalmatian area and added that a lot was being done, pointing out as an example the important Donja Neretva project.

''The County, Hrvatske vode and the competent ministry have started the SU project of the irrigation of the lower Neretva; now we're going forward with the first phase and I'm convinced that this project, the total value of which is about 500 million kuna, will be realised in full and thus solve the problem of salinisation, and also conduct irrigation of the entire area. The projects for which contracts are being signed are extremely important for the entire county.

Zoran Djurokovic confirmed that extremely important and valuable projects are being implemented in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the Neretva area, saying, among other things, that in the Neretva Valley, projects are currently being implemented in Opuzen, the mouth of the Neretva river, Komin… around 120 million kuna is being invested, and if we take into account the Metkovic and Ploce agglomeration and other projects within the county, we're talking about almost a billion kuna.

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As Morski writes on the 14th of May, 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic which has paralysed a significant part of economic activities across not only Croatia but the world, work on infrastructure projects on the islands of Zadar County is progressing according to plan.

On that occasion, Zadar County Prefect Bozidar Longin, accompanied by his associates, visited the construction sites of port infrastructure projects on the islands of Pasman and Ugljan - the new ferry port in Tkon, the rehabilitation of the waterfront in Mrljane, a fishing port in Vela Lamjana and the re-doing of the promenade and the Artina beach in Kali.

The Zadar County Port Authority is building a new ferry port in Tkon, which carries a total value of 45 million kuna. The third phase of construction, which is now underway, is worth about 30 million kuna alone, and this is the first port infrastructure project in the Republic of Croatia to be financed from European Union funds through the Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme.

''The new ferry port will mark a significant step forward in the quality of transport for all residents and guests of the island of Pasman. The works should be completed by the end of 2021, with summer breaks included, and it is very important that there are no interruptions during the coronavirus crisis. Everything has been being carried out in full compliance with all of the prescribed epidemiological measures,'' said Prefect Bozidar Longin.

''This is one of the key development projects for the entire island of Pasman. With the new ferry port, we'll significantly raise the standard of the service provided, which will certainly be an additional contribution to the quality of life of the island population and the development of tourism,'' added the mayor of Tkon, Goran Muscet, who praised the level of cooperation with the Zadar County Port Authority and the contractors engaged in the work.

''In the new Tkon ferry port, a loading and unloading area and a boarding station will be built, a plateau of the pier that enables the loading and unloading of vehicles, an underwater culvert for sea water circulation between the outer and inner waters and a plateau for the boarding area and the car park,'' added Davor Skibola, the director of ZLU Zadar which, in addition to the works taking place in Tkon, is also implementing a European Union project to upgrade the port of Sali in the amount of 56.8 million kuna.

On the island of Pasman, the Zadar County Port Authority is also doing up the port of Mrljane, which is co-financed by the Municipality of Pasman and two national ministries - that of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.

''The works started in 2019, and the total value is 4.2 million kuna. With great cooperation with Zadar County and the ministries of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, we're continuing this development cycle and creating new preconditions for the well-being of our residents,'' said Kresimir Cosic, Mayor of Pasman.

Bozidar Longin, accompanied by Kali's Marko Kolega, visited the works taking place at the fishing port in the bay of Vela Lamjana. It's worth noting that with the help of European Union and national funds, the fishing ports in oth Kali and Gazenica will be modernised and upgraded. The works in Kali have been going on for a little over a year now, and the public procurement procedure for the works in Gazenica is expected to be completed soon. Both projects are being implemented by the Zadar Port Authority, and are worth almost 60 million kuna.

''We're leading in the Adriatic sea in catching fish, but also in fish farming, and we bear the name of the Croatian county which fishes the most with very good reason. We want to take an additional step forward in improving the conditions for our fishermen, so we started building more modern infrastructure. With concrete examples, we're supporting the further development of fishing here, which has a long tradition in Zadar County, and is especially important to our islanders,'' emphasised the Zadar County prefect.

In addition to the fishing port, several other infrastructure projects are being implemented in Kali. Works on the promenade and Artina beach worth 2.7 million kuna are also in progress.

''With the project of the Artina promenade, we'll arrange a car park, a rest area for cyclists, and a promenade with a green belt and ecological lighting. This will be followed by the 'doing up' of the beach where we'll set up smart benches, playgrounds for children, and a ramp for the disabled. The works should be completed by July, and we're financing these works with our own funds and with the help of the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, and Zadar County,'' said Marko Kolega, who announced that the construction of a roundabout in the area of Batalaza this autumn, which will be worth 3.9 million kuna.

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