26 July 2022.
HISTORICAL MOMENT
Peljesac Bridge to be formally opened this evening

Peljesac Bridge, Croatia's largest infrastructure project co-funded by the European Union, will be formally opened on Tuesday evening. Today is a day for history because thanks to the Pelješko Bridge, the far south of Croatia is connected to the rest of the country.

The bridge will provide an uninterrupted road link between southernmost Croatia and the rest of the country by bypassing a short stretch of the coastline at Neum where Bosnia and Herzegovina has access to the Adriatic Sea.

This historic event will be marked by a day-long programme at the Brijesta and Komarna rest stops at both ends of the bridge, starting at 8am with performances by orchestras from Dubrovnik-Neretva County and a boat race under the bridge.

The opening ceremony starts at 8.15pm and will be briefly addressed by Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic, European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Suica, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (by video message), Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and President Zoran Milanovic.

The ceremony will end with a fireworks display around 10pm when two Croatian-made cars, a Nevera from Rimac Automobili and one built by Croatian racing driver Niko Pulic, will drive across the bridge.

Regular traffic will start at midnight.

The bridge is 2,404 metres long, 21 metres wide and 55 metres high. The entire project, including access roads and purchase of land from private owners, cost €525 million, of which the EU provided €357 million. The bridge was designed by Marjan Pipenbaher and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation.

This project ends the territorial discontinuity created by a 1699 peace treaty under which the Dubrovnik Republic, or the Republic of Ragusa, ceded the stretch of the coast around Neum to the Ottoman Empire.

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European Commission welcomes opening of Peljesac Bridge

The European Commission on Tuesday welcomed the official opening of Peljesac Bridge, one
of the biggest projects in the EU and the biggest one in Croatia funded by the EU.

This is a Cohesion Policy-funded project with an EU contribution of €357 million. In June 2017, the Commission approved the EU financing of the bridge following a feasibility study.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said the bridge “will improve the economic development and the territorial cohesion of South Dalmatia and Croatia as a whole. This is a project of
great importance for both Croatia and for the EU. This bridge is a symbol of European solidarity and
support to Croatia in financial and political terms. It will improve the lives of citizens on the ground and will be part of the development history of Croatia.”

Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Suica congratulated Croatia on “the tremendous work” done. “The EU is about building bridges, connecting territories and people. We do this metaphorically every day. Today, we are adding real bridges, real connections with the same goal: bringing people together and making our Union and member states stronger.”

The new bridge will connect the southernmost part of Croatia and Dubrovnik to the rest of mainland
Croatia, the Commission said.

“This bridge will significantly improve the everyday life of Croatians – by reducing the travel time between Dubrovnik and Split – and travellers in the nearby areas. A smooth flow of goods and people will facilitate access to public services, such as healthcare, and economic services in the different sub-regional centres,
” the Commission said.

“This seamless connection will also greatly benefit tourism, trade and will reinforce the territorial cohesion of the region,” it added.(HINA)

Tourist Board: Peljesac Bridge is becoming a new tourist attraction

Peljesac Bridge is already becoming a tourist attraction and is expected to further boost the demand for holiday destinations in Croatia's south, Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) Director Kristjan Stanicic told the Croatian state news agency Hina ahead of the bridge's opening on Tuesday.

“The bridge will certainly be a new tourist attraction, both for boaters, for whom sailing under the bridge
will be a special experience, and for travellers and tourists who will be able to enjoy the magnificent view
of the bridge from surrounding vantage points and roads,” Stanicic said, adding that the HTZ would use the bridge in its promotional campaigns.

He said it was still early to speak about the direct impact of the bridge on tourist trends and destinations in Croatia’s far south, but added that the bridge would certainly reduce the dependence of the local tourist industry on air traffic.

“Although the United Kingdom and the United States are among the most important markets for Dubrovnik-Neretva County, also important are the markets of Germany, Poland, France and Slovenia, as
well as the domestic market, so it is expected that Peljesac Bridge will increase the demand from these
markets and contribute to the image of Croatia of a well-positioned car  destination,” Stanicic said.

He said that a Euronews crew had visited the bridge last week for a travel story, noting that this leading
European news channel was available to about 70 percent of households or about 145 million people in Europe. (HINA)

Peljesac Bridge ‘ensures integrity of Croatian territory,’ PM Plenkovic says

N1/ HIC.hr
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