Serbia reduces cost of highway construction

Serbia has managed to reduce the cost of building the Corridor 10 highway by €80 million. These funds will instead be used to pay for upgrades and improvements needed for the second section of the highway project, close to Neradovci.

So far some 180km of the Corridor 10 highway has been built over a 40 month time frame. A further 150km of the highway has still to be built. Work on the Corridor 10 motorway is also being financed by the 1166 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the state budget. When Corridor 10 is complete it will provide a valuable transport link for Serbia to its neighbours and also for the region.

Work on the 40km Belgrade ringroad section of the Corridor 10 highway is due to be completed by May 2012, six months before the deadline. The ringroad runs from Batajnica to Bubanj Potok and work is being carried out by the Austrian company 945 Strabag. The construction work includes building two viaducts, each 1.5km long. In July 2009, the 2332 World Bank (WB) approved a total of €299 million for construction of the Corridor 10 highway. Funding will be approved as part of the WB's four year partnership strategy between 2012 and 2015. During the mentioned period, the WB is planning to secure between €462.5-617 million for financing in Serbia.