With the state stepping in, the cableway project that aims to connect the coast with a mountain top might soon move forward
A cableway project that would connect Medveja village near Rijeka with the mountain of Učka has been in the works for years now – with no progress so far. As the entire undertaking would require an investment of 150 million kuna, the local authorities remain unable to finance the project on their own.
However, the state recently decided to step in. The Agency for Investments and Competitiveness (AIK) added the cableway project to their investment portfolio, reports Fiuman on September 10, 2017.
The project aiming to connect the coast in Medveja with a point located high up the Učka mountain was devised to expand the tourist offer in the area. As the Istria County and the Primorje-Gorski kotar County are already well-developed on the tourism front, the cableway would further improve the area's profile, as no similar content is available nearby. Considering the future cableway route has a unique strategic position, the location is seen as a guarantee of the project becoming a world-known attraction.
Učka has been a tourist destination for decades: it hosts plenty of recreational and sports activities like mountain climbing, cycling, freeclimbing and paragliding; it's also used as a venue for many international sports competitions. Numerous hotels and other accommodation facilities are operating either on Učka or in its surrounding area, as both Rijeka and Opatija are situated a short drive away.
Multiple technical studies have been carried out so far, and a public tender for the construction project is soon to be launched. The cableway project has an estimated value of 20 million euro, and the state is currently looking for a strategic partner. It remains to see if these recent events will help push the project forward – we're certainly keeping our fingers crossed!
