This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
The bridge will pass through the only sliver of sea conecting Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Adriatic , Source: Ponor on WIkipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
The bridge will connect the exclave region of Dubrovnik to the rest of the country, bypassing the Bosnian city of Neum
Today, the Croatian controversial Pelješac Bridge (Pelješki most) will be officially opened, as the Croatian news agency Hina reports. The 2,400-metre-long bridge is supposed to connect the exclave region of Dubrovnik with the rest of Croatia, as the two are split by a sliver of land near the city of Neum – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s only port.
The whole project, including the land purchased from private owners, cost 525 million euros with 357 million coming from an EU grant. This makes the Pelješac Bridge the largest infrastructure project completed with European backing.
The bridge is 2,400 metres long and connects the village of Komarna on the continental part of Croatia with the village of Brijesta on the Pelješac peninsula in the Dubrovnik exclave. The bridge will create a direct road link between the southmost tip of Croatia with the rest of the country.
Bridge planning took the Croatian government years and successive governments to complete with the project getting off the ground in 2018. The construction deal was awarded to the Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation. Initially, construction was supposed to last for 36 months, however, work slowed down due to COVID-19.
Nevertheless, the bridge and most of the accompanying infrastructure like connecting roads are nearly done, with the notable exception of the circular road around the Croatian town of Ston.
The project was plagued by controversy from the very start, according to Hina. After the project was awarded to the Chinese company, the other two bidders decided to appeal the decision.
At the same time, many Bosnian politicians have been vocal opponents of the project, as the bridge has the potential to bottleneck the country’s only exit to the sea. In August 2017, the Bosnian Minister of Civil Affairs, Adil Osmanović, sent a letter to the Croatian Minister of Maritime Affairs, Oleg Butković, saying that Bosnia plans to cancel the two countries’ agreement on their maritime borders.
Currently, the two countries have agreed to grant maritime rights in Neum bay to Croatia. The decision was, however, blocked by the Bosnian Serb and Croatian representatives in parliament, with the opinion that a country can connect parts of its territory.
According to official sources, the Pelješac Bridge allows ships to pass freely under it, giving them access to Bosnia’s port of Neum. Furthermore, the bridge’s profile was negotiated with Bosnian experts to avoid the aforementioned bottleneck.
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
And the effect is especially prominent among younger people who often turn down job offers due to the lack of nearby housing
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
The country’s capital has been a pioneer in crafting policy and initiatives to improve coexistence between people and pets
The amendment to the law shows regard for the public health of youngsters
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team