Breakthrough of the longest tunnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The ceremony held near Nemila village in Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the breakthrough of the left stretch of Golubinja tunnel located on the Pan-European Corridor Vc. As the longest in the country stretching some 3.6 kilometres, the tunnel situated between the cities of Žepča and Zenica forms part of the Poprikuše – Nemila motorway section. Upon completion of this project, travel time from Sarajevo to northern parts of the country will be reduced significantly, thanks to the bypassing of the existing road through the canyon of the River Bosna.

The estimated project cost of €251 million has been financed under Team Europe approach with loans coming from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as an EU grant of €41 million provided under the Western Balkans Investment Framework.

“Together with all partners in the project, the EIB is happy to witness the creation of this important link along the Corridor Vc. For us, as the EU bank, building faster, safer and modern transportation connections within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and the European Union is one of our priorities towards achieving higher economic development and prosperity. With over €1 billion in EIB loans and grants invested already in the Corridor Vc, we look forward to continuing our unwavering support for the country and its people,” said the EIB Head of Office for BiH and Montenegro Sandrine Friscia.

The event was also attended by Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH Nermin Nikšić, Director of public enterprise Autoceste FBiH Denis Lasić, Federal Minister of Transport and Communications of the Federation of BiH Andrijana Katić, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Adebayo Babajide, as well as Asim Cengiz, member of the Management Board of the contracting company Cengiz Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.

Federal Minister of Transport and Communications Andrijana Katić said: “The fact that the Golubinja tunnel is currently the longest road tunnel in BiH speaks for itself when it comes to the complexity of the project. Aware of the challenges, the Government of the Federation of BiH, the ministry in charge and Autoceste FBiH are determined in their plans and traffic policies to open the northern part of Corridor Vc, from Sarajevo to Sava, to traffic by the end of 2026.”

Acting Director of Autoceste FBiH Denis Lasić underlined that the success of the project could be ascribed to the joint efforts of a hardworking team of experts and all other partners. “We are working hard to connect the entire northern part of the corridor, from Sarajevo to Sava, in the second half of 2026,” he added.

Adebayo Babajide from the EU Delegation to BiH stated that the European Union had secured the largest grant support in BiH for the Corridor Vc, with €870 million approvedto date.

For the construction of the Poprikuše – Nemila section, over 600 workers were engaged, and some 80% of the raw materials were purchased from the domestic market. It is expected that the final 130 metres of the right stretch of the tunnel will be completed in the coming months.