Start of the WBIF Technical Assistance for Bar – Boljare Highway Phase II on the Orient/East-Med Corridor in Montenegro 9 January 2019: As part of a joint EU – Montenegro initiative to  improve transport infrastructure on the Indicative Extension of the TEN-T Core Network, the preparation of the Preliminary Design and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the road section Matesevo  – Andrijevica on the Bar – Boljare Highway started in earnest at the  kick-off meeting with the beneficiary authorities.

The technical assistance is funded by a €3.1 million EU grant allocated by the WBIF for the development of the technical documentation and sound environmental conditions for the construction of a 21 km-long highway  section between Matesevo and Andrijevica on the Bar – Boljare Highway. It is implemented by the Infrastructure Project Facility 7 and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as Lead IFI for the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro and the Directorate for State Roads.

This support is complemented by €3.7 million EU grants awarded by the WBIF for project preparation for Bar – Boljare Highway. These concern the preparation of the Feasibility Study and Cost-Benefit Analysis for the  entire highway and of the Preliminary Design and Environmental and  Social Impact Assessment for Podgorica Bypass on the same road.

Bar – Boljare Highway is part of the extension of the Orient/East-Med Corridor to the Western Balkans along Route 4, which will create a seamless road link from the border with Romania via Belgrade to Podgorica and the Port of Bar at the Adriatic Sea. The investments in this road interconnection are in line with the EU accession priorities and are of national, regional and international significance for the Western Balkans, as they will improve the level of service and road safety, reduce emissions and lower vehicle operating costs on the North-South road backbone in Montenegro to the border with Serbia, facilitate trade flows with the countries in the region and have a positive impact on the broader economy of Montenegro, its citizens, and neighboring countries as well. 

Additional information on the project can be found here.