ZAGREB, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The construction of the Peljesac Bridge, the biggest infrastructure project in Croatia, will be completed in June 2022, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced on Monday after visiting the site.
"This project is of strategic importance to Croatia. Our main goal is to ensure the integrity of the country's territory," said Plenkovic, adding "We are glad that it will be finished a year and a half from now."
The 2.4-kilometer-long Peljesac Bridge connects Croatia's southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County to the rest of the mainland, giving the southeastern European country a continuous land link that bypasses foreign territory. Eighty-five percent of its total cost is provided by the European Union.
Work on the connection between the mainland and the first pillar in the sea started on Monday during the prime minister's visit. Plenkovic expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done by the contractor -- the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) -- and the fact that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, construction has not been significantly delayed.
In January 2018, a Chinese consortium led by CRBC won the bid for the first phase of the bridge and its access roads. Construction started six months later.
Josip Skoric, CEO of the state-owned road management company Hrvatske Ceste, said work on the access roads is progressing well.
