STEVANOVIĆ: BANJA LUKA-PRIJEDOR HIGHWAY TO BE COMPLETED BY END OF 2028

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 23 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska Minister of Transport and Communications Zoran Stevanović said he was satisfied with the pace of work on the Banja Luka-Prijedor highway, which, he said, should be completed by the end of 2028.

"A construction permit for another 3.2 kilometers of the road is expected in the coming days, and once a certain number of court disputes are resolved, we should have the construction site fully open by the end of the year," Stevanović told reporters after inspecting the construction site of the highway near the Kuljani interchange. Regarding the Kuljani interchange, Stevanović said that work would soon have to begin on part of the Banja Luka bypass, which will provide the highway's connection to roads in and around the city. He praised the concessionaire, Chinese company Shandong, saying that sections of the highway route are already ready for paving. "They have a professional approach to all the problems in order to complete the road as quickly and as well as possible," Stevanović said, adding that the contract for the highway was not being kept secret. Stevanović was accompanied during the inspection of the construction site by representatives of the Chinese company Shandong and Everit, the main contractor. The Banja Luka-Prijedor highway is planned to be approximately 40 kilometers long. It begins at the Kuljani interchange and runs towards Prijedor, while a further extension towards Novi Grad and the border with Croatia is planned in the future.