November 4, 2020 - The Kopilica area of Split will be modeled on the Spanish city of Barcelona thanks to a 600,000 euro project financed by the EBRD.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is financing the strategic plan of Austrian company iC Consulenten with 600,000 euro, according to which the Kopilica area of Split would undergo a thorough revitalization to develop cultural, congress and hotel facilities and become like parts of Barcelona, the EBRD said on Tuesday.

The statement reads that the urban revitalization plan will radically transform Split by redeveloping a key port area and developing the city's Kopilica district. Split itself, it is said, will be able to reach its full potential, inspired by the success of similar interventions in cities such as Barcelona, ​​Copenhagen, and London, where the neglected railway and port locations have been transformed into lively new neighborhoods tempting to work and live.

The strategic plan, developed by Austrian civil engineers from iC Consulenten and financed by the EBRD with 600,000 euro, focuses on the location of the main railway station in the port area and the Kopilica district on the northern coast of the Split peninsula. The goal of the plan is to reduce congestion in the city center and use the best city locations such as the main station, with the possible expansion of the city center.

The new arrangement of the port area and Kopilica would create a potential gross developed area of ​​about 1.2 million square meters for approximately 15,000 inhabitants and 10,000 to 15,000 jobs.

The revitalization of the main station and the new road tunnel in the port would enable the development of cultural, congress, and hotel facilities.

As for Kopilica itself, the expansion of the city center is expected to include business premises, a university, large residential areas, and a "park and use public transport" system, which will be of great importance for the entire city area. EBRD estimates that meeting these goals will require a substantial new transport infrastructure.

A new light railway to the airport and a motorway bridge across the bay from Solin to Kopilica will be necessary preconditions for this development project. The EBRD supports this plan as part of its broader work in the field of urban revitalization as a holistic approach to overcoming the challenges faced by many cities in the countries in which they are active.

The EBRD is currently participating in projects in Pula, Šibenik, and Zagreb.

"Urban revitalization provides opportunities to rebalance the economy, attract foreign investment and use EU funds efficiently, and as the state has a key role to play in stimulating that investment, the EBRD is working closely with governments and state-owned enterprises at all levels to support the implementation of ambitious plans to transform Croatia's larger cities," the statement said.

The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes private sector development and entrepreneurial initiative in 38 countries on three continents. It is owned by 69 countries and the EU and the EIB.

Source: HINA, The Financial

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October 2, 2020 - Famous Split music venue and club Judino Drvo has closed its doors. The Kopilica space will now be used to host Split's newest theater. 

Dalmacija Danas reported that "Theater at the end of the city" is located in Kopilica, the infamous location of Split's 'metro' and club Judino Drvo. Now, however, it will become a place where Split locals will enjoy theatrical performances.

The space, most commonly known to Split's alternative population as Judino Drvo, has been turned into a small theater with an audience of 200 seats and all the accompanying contents. In addition to the atrium, ground floor and gallery, there is also a large stage for performances, excellent sound and lighting, and something crucial for the audience - free parking.

The main actors in this move are the UC collective led by Iris Buric.

"We are very happy to announce the imminent opening of the "Theater at the End of the City", a project that is so much needed by our city, which for years has been crying out for additional space where cultural events will be offered. From the first day I saw this space, I associated it with the theater and I believe that the audience will fall in love with this charming theater at first.

"Theater at the end of the city" is conceived as a multimedia center that will offer citizens cultural and educational content under its roof. We will open it with the autumn theater season, but our plan is to soon expand the program to children's theater performances, guitar school, acting and much more. This city does not lack content and will, it lacks adequate space and we believe that "Theater at the end of the city" will very soon become an important actor in the cultural scene of Split,"  said Buric.

Amadeus Events, which is very well known to the Split theater audience, is in charge of the program part of the theater season.

"We have been cooperating with all the most successful Croatian theaters for almost a decade. Behind us are hundreds of successful performances throughout Dalmatia in all cultural locations. But we have been dreaming for a long time to provide the citizens of Split and its surroundings with just such a place. And after almost a year of preparation, we can say with satisfaction that we have succeeded. Autumn rich in theatrical performances awaits us and we know that our audience will be very satisfied with what this theater will offer them.

We would also like to thank Građa d.d. which again had an ear for cultural projects in our city. They have once again confirmed their slogan, so when the "Theater at the end of the city" is born, the materials always stand by you!" said Amadeus.

The actresses who will soon have the opportunity to perform on Split's newest stage also commented on the news:

"The news that a new theater scene is opening is always sensational. And when something like that happens in the middle of a global pandemic, then it’s so much more. Then it’s another confirmation that theater is desperately needed. And indestructible. And to all of us who live for theater, an indispensable injection of optimism.

I am overjoyed that my new play, Vla Vla Vlajland cabaret, will be registered as the first play to take place at the Theater on the outskirts of the city," said Ecija Ojdanic.

"When we no longer have a small theater at the beginning of the city, here is a small theater at the end of the city. In addition to our large HNK, Youth Theater and Puppet Theater, we have been crying out for years for a space where we could perform plays, hold concerts and organize similar events that would enrich the cultural events in the city. And here is a small theater where we will be able to perform small and large plays - a Theater at the end of town. We wish them a happy start to the season without the coronavirus, joy and happiness for the elderly and youth," said Arijana Culina.

"Everything related to the theater in Split that is new, every man who loves this city should be happy. Culture is a mirror of our society. That is why I am especially happy that such a project with such a resounding and appropriate name "Theater at the end of the city" is being prepared in our city. From the very idea, place, concept, visual identity and program, this is a project that will change the vision of the culture of Split. I have to admit that after this project I am optimistic and a bit euphoric after a long time. A project that will raise the bar high in the city," concluded Ana Gruica Uglesic.

"Theater at the end of the city" will open its doors with a cabaret play "Vla Vla Vlajland" by author and director Ivan Leo Lema, featuring the always top performance of Ecija Ojdanic on October 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday) at 8 pm, and October 11 ( Sunday) at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are on sale for 90 kuna from Monday, October 5, at the box office of the theater (Kopilica 24) from 3 pm to 7 pm. You can also book tickets by calling 091 9720 540.

Free parking is provided for all visitors to the theater, and the organizers also emphasize that all epidemiological measures in force will be respected.

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November 6, 2019 - Split mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara commented on discontinuing the metro from Kopilica to the ferry port, saying that the line had not been discontinued, but only transformed into an integrated bus and rail link between the Split airport and the ferry port.

Opara explained for Slobodna Dalmacija: “You journalists called it the metro, we never called it that, it is yet to become that. The line between Kopilica and the City port has not been discontinued; it has been transformed into a transportation link connecting our airport with an integrated line. Anyone who buys a ticket at the Split airport for 25 kuna can board the train Kastel Luksic and continue to the ferry port, which has a stop in Kopilica as well.

We changed the timetable because the passenger intensity is lower and is now getting a new shape by merging Kastela, Solin, and Split, which is what we wanted. This is just the beginning of a long story that will have its finale when we connect the airport with the ferry port. We have now combined it by integrating the bus and rail,” the mayor explained.

When asked by a journalist about the difference between the metro and the line that usually departs from Kastela, stops at Kopilica and continues to the ferry port, Opara replied that, in the meantime, an integrated ticket had been released that has been used in recent weeks.

He explained that passengers now have the opportunity to take an exclusive "Promet" bus line from the airport to Kastel Luksic, and then use the same ticket for the train to the ferry port, which stops in Kopilica.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to connect the airport with the ferry port by rail, for which not all the necessary preconditions have been created, which primarily relate to the construction of part of the railway line in Kastela itself. According to the mayor, this will not happen so fast. However, Opara announced interventions that will occur around Split next year.

“During the winter, we will start the works in Dujmovača; something halted the building permits on Širina and in Sv. Kaji, but as far as I can tell, this has been resolved, so next year, we will have those two stations ready. A process is underway at Trgu hrvatske bratske zajednice to change the DPU, which is necessary to get started on opening that station.

There were two tenders for the HZPP to design the underground station, and the second one succeeded. It will give new meaning to all this work that we insist on doing,”  said the mayor.

How much money would be spent on the entire project could not be said at this time, except for that Promet would participate by contributing one-third of the whole amount.

When asked if the City profited from passengers traveling between Kopilica and the ferry port this summer, Opara explained that this could not be discussed because the project has just begun.

"The project may not be as popular in the beginning as it will be in the future, but we were ready for it," he added.

Thus, connecting the airport and the ferry terminal will not be feasible until next summer.

“I have to say openly that for our part, we did everything we needed, the Ministry also, and doubts existed with our colleagues in Kastela. I am glad to hear that they have introduced a railway line in the changes to the spatial plan, which is also envisaged by the Spatial draft plan of Split-Dalmatia County. However, the tracks they offered were still under evaluation. We expect that this will take a full year and that a quality route will be decided. Until then, we will make amendments like this with integrated traffic,” Opara concluded, saying that the whole process has taken too long.

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September 12, 2019 - Will Split ever see an airport train? A look into why things are so behind schedule. 

Splitski Dnevnik reports that just before the start of the tourist season, the City of Split solemnly marked the first ride of the "Split metro," as the train ran from Kopilica to the central station.

It was envisaged that the complete bus station would be moved to Kopilica and thus relieve the center of Split from unbearable traffic jams, especially during the tourist season. However, the inaugural ride was held, and the station stayed put.

You might recall that all this is only part of the mega-project connecting the Split airport with the city of Split, which, as expected, is delayed. 

Split is nowhere near the construction of the new railway line, as no decisions have been made as to where it will be built. The project is also currently without European money.

The four-minute drive from Kopilica station to the city port and back runs 105 lines per day. From 11 June to 10 September, 5300 passengers were transported in both directions. During the 90 days of the tourist season, 9,450 trips were made, which means that on average, the train carried half a person, and with tickets costing 11 kuna, 58,300 kuna was earned.

While some of you might gather that operating empty trains hardly makes sense, the Split mayor sees no problem in these statistics.

"We are persistent in this and believe that citizens are adopting this short but very valuable traffic route every day," said Andro Krstulovic Opara, Mayor of Split.

Opara believes that this route will come to life when the link between Split and Split airport is in operation, though there have been no movements on the 150 million euro project yet.

"It may be going at a pace that is a little slower than expected. We are waiting for more approvals that are needed from the City of Kastela and its representatives,” said Mirjana Cagalj, the Project Coordinator.

Recall, the new railway should be built through Kastela.

The mayor of Kastela was offered three options. All three would use part of the existing railway to be reconstructed - and then, either from Kaštel Stari or from Kaštel Kambelovac, new tracks would be built to the airport, on three different routes. The authors of the project were in favor of the first, cheapest option, but this did not suit the people of Kastela.

"It was not acceptable to us because some buildings would be damaged there, fields would be damaged, one sanctuary would be destroyed, and we were looking for the best option," claimed Denis Ivanovic, Mayor of Kastela.

According to the second and third options, the old railway would be reconstructed right up to the Kaštel Kambelovac station, where the new railway would start. Kastela demanded that in this version, the railroad that runs through the city itself be dug into the tunnel, which would increase the price by 10 to 20 million euro. 

This was not acceptable to the Ministry of Transport. However, the light at the end of the railway tunnel was turned on by Ivanovic, who presented a counter-proposal that resembles the first version with minor changes to the final route. Thus, a green light from Zagreb awaits. 

"We have tested the soil, we have tested the terrain, and I believe that it will be acceptable now," Ivanovic is convinced.

It should all be done in five years, but as EU money is required to complete the project, and the route still unknown, passengers will continue to be taken by bus from the airport to the future temporary bus station in Kopilica.

However, citizens who live in the immediate vicinity of the future bus station are not so keen.

"The traffic will be half a meter away from the bedroom windows. When Chief Vojnovic was here, at the presentation of the future temporary bus station, when he came here, outside my door in courtyard, the only protection he offered were panels like on the highway,” said Edita Baric, a resident of Kopilica.

The mayor, however, is immune to the objections of fellow citizens.

“We are persistent in the decision to move part of the bus station to Kopilica. Kopilica will come to life the moment the rail traffic between Solin and Kastela increases,” said Andro Krstulovic Opara.

Opara urges citizens to be patient because buses are only a “temporary” solution. 

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July 2, 2019 - Not even one month after the city and county leaders were photographed in the brand new, air-conditioned train on the inaugural ride from Kopilica to the Split Ferry Port, a dated, vintage locomotive could be seen on the Split railroad tracks this week.

So, why has a much older model replaced our modern metro? Slobodna Dalmacija consulted HŽ Passenger Transport Company to find out more. 

“Since we have a new 7023 series train running on the Split - Split suburbs route and vice versa, on which the air conditioner broke the day before yesterday, in its place is the diesel-motor train of the 7122 series. Ongoing repairs of the new train are in progress, after which it will be in circulation again,” replied the state transport company.

The interest for the new Split metro can be seen by the fact that from June 11 to 30 June, from the central station at the Split Ferry Port to the station in Kopilica, the HŽ Passenger Transport company sold 670 return tickets together with HŽ and ‘Promet’, or just over 35 per day.

Since data for June is still being collected, as tickets are sold by both HŽ and the city public transport company ‘Promet’, at the end of the month, however, the calculation may be somewhat more favorable for passengers.

Whether the number of passengers will increase, time will tell, though it might help if the metro kept to their schedule. 

Namely, as readers revealed to Slobodna Dalmacija, one train scheduled to depart from Kopilica at 2:03 pm didn’t leave a half hour later!

“The worst is that none of the employees knew which train was departing. Thus, 50 passengers changed trains three times, and in the end, we didn’t even leave until 2:40. In the heat they moved us from train to train rather than let us at least stand in the waiting room,” the reader testified.

HŽ said that the cause of the delay was from a defect on the train that drove from Split to Kaštel Stari.

“Because of this, there was a delay for trains in urban-suburban transport. A substitute train has been introduced in traffic and the traffic is gradually normalized. We apologize to passengers who had difficulties with the train delays,” said HŽ Passenger Transport.

On the bright side, Split’s sense of humour has shined through the new metro fiasco, which you can see in the memes below.

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June 11, 2019 - The new Split metro officially began operations from Kopilica station to the Split ferry port on Tuesday. While the metro was originally scheduled to depart on its first trip at 10:11 am this morning, it left three minutes late, at 10:14. The trip, however, did only take the take four minutes from Kopilica to the ferry port, as all announcements said previously, reports Dalmatinski portal.

The inaugural ride was hosted by representatives of HŽ Infrastructure and HŽ Passenger Transport together with representatives of the City of Split. The first train ride was attended by Split mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, along with his deputies and many media representatives. 

Recall, a ticket for the new metro will be valid for 75 minutes, during which passengers can also travel on the Promet buses. The ticket for the first zone will cost 11 kuna. The metro will drive every 20 minutes and take only four minutes each way. 

Recall, Deputy Mayor Neno Vela originally announced the new metro to begin on June 9.  This new traffic measure will unload and load tour bus passengers at the new Kopilica station and facilitate travel into the city center. Namely, passengers can travel for 11 kuna via the metro from the Municipal Rail Station in Kopilica to the Split Ferry Port. 

The new measure also encourages buses outside of the congested city center to relieve summer traffic. We announced last month that if tour buses did want to load and unload their passengers at the terminals at the Tourist Palace in the city center, they are limited to 15 minutes and will walk out with empty pockets. Namely, the buses who wish to bring their tourists to the Riva will have to pay 800 kuna (400 for unloading passengers, 400 for loading). Until now, they've paid 50 kuna. Kopilica, on the other hand, will boast a parking lot for 48 tour buses, and the daily parking fee for buses will cost 120 kuna (the same parking fee as Dračevac). 

"The organization of the Main Railway Station in Kopilica and the introduction of the city metro in the service of public transport is expected to reduce the pressure of vehicles, especially tourist buses at the center of the city. Passengers can get to the center in just four minutes with the new metro and by using a single ticket that is valid for the train and bus, issued by the hour. City trains on the route from Kopilica - Ferry Port and vice versa will travel every 20 minutes,” reads the correspondence sent to the travel agencies, which is signed by Deputy Mayor Nino Vela.

The announcement added that these measures are being introduced so that the “arrival of tourists in the destination is as pleasant as possible, and so that they do not waste time standing in queues, but also to make sure that the local population feels less pressure of tourist flows."

This new traffic measure if just part of it, as one-way traffic will also be introduced at the Split Ferry Port on June 17.

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Splitski Dnevnik writes on May 28, 2019, that we are just a few days away from the new traffic regulations in the center of Split. Allegedly, this will lead traffic outside the center of the city, which is becoming increasingly more congested year after year - and is, precisely, the consequence of transitioning from a port city to a booming tourist destination. 

And indeed, in recent years, cars have moved at the speed of snails down Ul. Kralj Zvonimira, making it much quicker to travel on foot in the hot summer season. The City of Split even announced that the regulations in the city center would also ease the life of tenants in the center. It's true, something needed to be done, though how it will go remains to be seen. 

Another, rather exciting part of the new traffic regulation comes June 9. While one-way traffic will already be introduced at the Split Ferry Port, the Main Railway Station in Kopilica will begin operating. Thus, tour bus passengers will be unloaded and loaded at the new Kopilica station and can travel for 11 kuna via public city transport from the Municipal Rail Station in Kopilica to the Split Ferry Port. Kopilica will boast a parking lot for 48 tour buses, and the daily parking fee for buses will cost 120 kuna (the same parking fee as Dračevac).

However, if tour buses did want to load and unload their passengers at the terminals at the Tourist Palace in the city center, they are limited to 15 minutes and will walk out with empty pockets. Namely, the buses who wish to bring their tourists to the Riva will have to pay 800 kuna (400 for unloading passengers, 400 for loading). Until now, they've paid 50 kuna.

"The organization of the Main Railway Station in Kopilica and the introduction of the city rail service in the service of public transport is expected to reduce the pressure of vehicles, especially tourist buses at the center of the city. Passengers can get to the center in just four minutes with the new metro and by using a unique ticket that is valid for the train and bus, issued by the hour. City trains on the route from Kopilica - Ferry Port and vice versa will travel every 20 minutes,” reads the correspondence sent to the travel agencies, which is signed by Deputy Mayor Nino Vela.

The announcement added that these measures are being introduced so that the “arrival of tourists in the destination is as pleasant as possible, and so that they do not waste time standing in queues, but also to make sure that the local population feels less pressure of tourist flows."

Thus, passengers are being shifted from the bus to the city train, as a way to make the temporary station project survive. Recall, 800 kuna is no small amount, and it is only logical to think that most carriers would decide against paying the fee to enter the center to unload their passengers. In Kopilica, every passenger is paying only 11 kuna to get to the city center. We just hope that it will truly only take four minutes to get there.

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The city of Split will experience some significant traffic changes come June. And yes, we can (hopefully) all share one big sigh of relief. 

As previously announced, the new traffic regulations for vehicles at Split’s busy city harbor will begin on June 1, which will push all traffic one-way around the port. You can read more about that project here.

Furthermore, the deputy mayor of Split, Nino Vela, announced that on June 9, the highly anticipated city rail project would begin, reports Dalmacija Danas on May 15, 2019. 

With this news comes a series of projects that plan to reduce the traffic problems of the city and its surroundings this year and next.

“The new traffic regulations in the city harbor begins with the realization of the public city rail project. We are enhancing public transport, especially in the most heavily loaded parts of the city such as the city harbor and Kopilica. With the new traffic regulations, the current two-way traffic in the city harbor will be reversed to one-way, which will increase the flow of traffic by two and a half times,” said Vela. 

“The many new bus lines that will drive through the harbor will experience wait times 5-6 times shorter. Namely, they will not be waiting at the traffic lights as they have been. The bus station will change the direction of its platforms and the site of the current roundabout in the city harbor will be a bus stop of great capacity where, at the same time, there will be two articulated buses, all for better public transport services. This will increase the current capacity of 15,000 people through the city port on buses to 45,000,” Vela added.

Vela says that there will be four new parking spaces for people with disabilities and a dozen new parking spaces for taxis. However, the biggest news is about the two new trains that will drive from the city harbor to Kopilica every 15 minutes, and will take just 4 minutes getting from point A to B. 

“We work on intermodal traffic so that air, sea, road and rail traffic are viewed as a whole. Soon there will be a train and bus connection. I'm just driving to Zagreb where I will coordinate the tickets at the Ministry and Croatian Railways with representatives of Split Traffic, after which its price will be known. In short, the traveler will be able to use the same ticket with the transport of buses and trains. The popular "metro" will be in the exclusive function of public transport. We are the first in Croatia. The idea of a city train was launched because we want to use the resources we have in Split. The railway in the town is almost dead. First, we will put in place what we have, and in parallel, we are launching projects for the construction of new traffic, i.e., roads and railroad tracks,” announced the Split deputy mayor.

And what’s going on at Kopilica today?

“At Kopilica, works on the main railway station are nearing the end and the station will be ready by the end of May. Works on the new bus parking area, with 48 new parking spaces, are underway and will be completed by the end of May. All this is part of the city rail service within the project that launched last year.”

Vela continued:

“Our goal is to connect the city's ferry port and airport. We know that traffic has doubled in the last ten years. The project connecting the city and the airport is underway. We hope to begin designing and realizing it in the next few years. A new 7 to 10 kilometers of new railways will be built.”

And in other Split traffic news:

“We all know that the getting into Split is always a problem. To our encouragement, Croatian Roads started work on the Dugopolje junction at the entrance to Split and these works should be completed by the end of June. Work is underway at the intersection of Poljička and Ul. Zbora narodne garde where the ramps are working, and works should be completed by the end of the year, which will improve the flow of traffic into Split. It is known that during the season there is congestion on the highway itself, which is very dangerous, but also congestion at the entrance to Poljička and Domovinskog rata. This ramp will use the upper-level detour and facilitate the flow in the lower level, thereby improving the flow of traffic. These things are now visible.”

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As many of you are aware, Split revealed the master plan for the revitalization of the East Coast and Kopilica. After the public presentation and a series of workshops with the media, councilors, architects and private landowners, one of the project's authors, Christof Schremmer from the Austrian Institute for Spatial Planning, spoke in detail with Dalmatinski Portal on March 25, 2019. 

On the example of Vienna, Schremmer showed that he had similarly implemented this idea, that is, create an entire urban neighborhood around a station which was previously avoided by inhabitants. 

Vienna is an optimistic example, but on the other hand, for one European town, it took 12 years from the idea to completion. How realistic is it that Split will realize everything in their announced timeframe?

“It’s realistic. We gathered all the stakeholders, from the Croatian Railways, the HŽ Cargo, the Port Authority to the Croatian Roads, to work together to find solutions. When we talk about the timeline, we are talking about two locations - East Coast and Kopilica. As far as the East Coast is concerned, which is considerably smaller than Kopilica, it is necessary first to clean and repair the railway line. When this happens, it is possible to realize it in some ten years. Kopilica is much bigger; for this, we believe it will be a brand new neighborhood in the city and we are talking about a realistic 20-year period. So, in that period, everything will be completed, from hotels, apartments, tourist facilities, promenades, a pedestrian bridge over Ulica Domovinskog rata. In this area, it is crucial to build an intermodal transportation center from which everything moves, after that we would need to resolve the rail and freight terminal in Stinica, which would reduce the burden on the city ferry port in terms of freight vehicles entering the city center. The port of Stinica could be realized in 5 to 10 years. Then you would see concrete moves. Also, some parts in Kopilica could be quickly realized, for example, after moving the Promet garage to Dračevac, this would be a good location the city for residential construction.

What was your biggest challenge? What do you consider to be the key to this project?

“Our masterplan work was contracted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the basis of an agreed work program elaborated with the City of Split. We are focusing on projects that can be realized and have positive effects. To achieve this, we work closely with key stakeholders to provide new infrastructure. The challenge is to establish a permanent work process between the city and the stakeholders to reach a coherent set of new infrastructures such as railways, roads, bridges, and ports promptly and ensure continuous communication with citizens.”

But Split’s current traffic solution is catastrophic…

“Proposed transport measures include a modern rail link from East Coast to Kopilica, then to the airport and Trogir. This should be an attractive means of transport for the entire region, not just for tourists, which can significantly reduce the traffic or arrival of vehicles from suburban settlements to the city. Another goal is to make the environmentally-friendly forms of transport more attractive in the city by improving the bus transportation system and providing good cycling trails, i.e., for e-bikes and e-scooters. There doesn’t need to be large public garages on the East Coast that would attract more cars; garages are only planned for the needs of hotels, offices or cultural buildings that will be built in the future.”

Schremmer mentioned that last July, 12,000 vehicles were measured entering and leaving the city harbor.

“In order to reduce this burden, we propose a cargo port in Kopilica, which can reduce incoming/outgoing traffic for the heaviest vehicles. The redirection of about 2,000 trucks and delivery vehicles per day from the narrow urban area to Kopilnica would be a significant improvement. Also, if a good park & ride garage with a new attractive car park is provided in Kopilica, the number of vehicles in the city center can be reduced to 4,000 per day.”

Where would Schremmer position the roundabout? What would be the entrance to the harbor?

“A new entry road, to be constructed from Zagrebačka Street to the roundabout would be located in the area behind the existing bus station, on the land of HŽ. From this roundabout, the cars would be distributed according to different ferry connections. The vehicles to be discharged from the ferry would be directed to the same roundabout, after which they would leave the tunnel from the port area on Pojišanska Street. Croatian Roads must elaborate detailed project plans and define the exact exit point. At this point, we estimate that the tunnel will be 400 to 600 meters long. The existing bridge in the south would remain as an additional option in the event of blocking a new exit. This traffic regulation would significantly reduce congestion in this area.

For the road to be realized, we suggest that the railway line in the new terminal building should be lowered by about 6 meters. This would, on the one hand, provide sufficient space for the new entry road. On the other hand, this would allow a new approach to the East Coast and the Old Town - getting out of the train, moving on escalators, and an open view on the harbor, no cars, buses, and trucks blocking it. The terminal building itself could have three to four floors, not too much, and there would be room for offices, shops, catering facilities and the like.”

The East Coast includes apartments, as the revitalization of the East Coast and Kopilica is also described as a demographic measure. It foresees returning the population to the center, but how possible is it considering the location and astronomical prices per square meter?

“The main intention is to make this part a cultural, congress and conference center with the intention that this space is active for the whole year. The housing part is very small, it should be above the part of the tunnel entrance. Kopilica foresees more flats, for younger families with affordable prices.”

In the last few days, you have been holding a series of presentations with different profiles of citizens. What is the feedback?

"It seems to me that people see a coherent plan which could determine the direction things could take place. It should be known that information from all stakeholders is now being collected and then it will be decided more specifically. It has many capacities for further masterplan development.”

What is the key to making this master plan function?

“For the realization of the master plan, it is most important for all parties to gather and coordinate their projects with a long-term perspective. The contribution of the Croatian Railways, the HŽ Cargo, the Port Authority and Croatian Roads is necessary for the entire system to function. That is why we believe that the motto of this process - 'Split United' - is excellent, because we can only realize it together.”

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The showroom project of Split United, i.e., the master plan of the urban revitalization study of Split’s East Coast and Kopilica, opens for all interested public today at 4 pm. The showroom is located on the first floor of the Administrative Building Dalma near the University Center for Vocational Studies (Kopilica 5) and will be open until April 19th on weekdays from 4 pm to 8 pm, reports Dalmacija Danas on March 21, 2019. 

It presents visual representations of the master plan as well as the timeline of the development of the East Coast and Kopilica, so that all interested parties can be fully informed about the presented study and actively and informatively included in the public discussion. For the same reason, over the last three days, many expert workshops were held with different stakeholders, from city councilors and professionals to landowners at two subject locations with the residents themselves.

Recall, the master plan, among other things, defines new tourism and residential properties. On the East Coast, the construction of residential buildings, hotels, and garages on several levels are planned. The East Coast would be "a place to preserve and enhance the historical significance of UNESCO heritage and a new place of residence for the local population."

In Kopilica, a new cargo port (RoRO) is planned for automobile transportation to the islands, but also a new waterfront or promenade and a tunnel below Bačvice. As a measure to retain inhabitants in the city, they plan to build 8,984 apartments in Kopilica and 286 apartments on the East Coast. The aim is to bring 19,764 inhabitants to Kopilica and 629 to the East Coast. 

The bridge across the Kaštela bay was considered a "long-term national project" that ensures access to the port in Kopilica from the state road. There would also be residential buildings, shops, rest areas, parks, and catering facilities along the coast. 

Unlike the past development vision, where this area was viewed only as a transit hub, it will now become a “modern neighborhood that has housing, education, a business center, and public, entertainment and tourist facilities."

As part of the showroom, an exhibition of selected photos from the recently held photo contest "Kopilica and East Coast - the current state and perspective" was opened. Among the nearly 200 photographs received from 15 different authors, the best was awarded to Majda Rožić for the photo "Kopilica." Žaklina Antonijević won the second prize, while the third went to Janka Bauka. The exhibition, like the showroom, will remain open to the public until April 19, 2019.

The city of Split invites all citizens, experts, and stakeholders to visit the showroom, get detailed information about the project and actively engage in a public discussion, because only the engagement of all guarantees that the final solution of the master plan will best respond to the city's needs in the next 50 years. 

More information about the public hearing procedure is available here. 

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