VIDEO: Southern Dalmatia road connection is completed as Ston bypass opens

(Ston bypass/YouTube/Hrvatske Ceste)

The Ston bypass, which is valued at 70 million euros, and which is the final phase of the project of building the Pelješac Bridge and its connecting roads, linking southern Dalmatia, officially opened on Wednesday. 

The 7.5-kilometer Ston bypass runs from the Prapratno junction to the Zaton Doli junction and connects with the Adriatic Highway towards Dubrovnik. 

The project was carried out by Greek construction company Avax and was technically the most demanding, involving the construction of two tunnels – the Polakovica tunnel, 1265 meters long, and the Supava tunnel, 1320 meters long – and a 485-meter-long and 40-meter-high Ston Bridge that connects them over the Ston Bay.

The opening of the bypass comes almost nine months after the opening of the Pelješac Bridge, as the deadlines were repeatedly delayed. Prime Minister Plenković stated that the completion of the Pelješac Bridge project and its connecting roads has been achieved with the opening of the Ston bypass, thereby linking southern Dalmatia to Croatia’s road infrastructure.

The main contractor for the project was Greek Avax, alongside Strabag, who worked on the second part of the section on Pelješac, and China Road Bridge Corporation. According to Plenković, the contribution of these major contractors was crucial in realizing this strategic, transport, infrastructure, safety, and national project for Croatia, which is the connection of territories with the Pelješac Bridge and its connecting roads.

Plenković is confident that the project will enable even faster and greater development of tourism, income, and a higher quality of life for all people in the south of Croatia, within the context of Croatia’s membership in the Eurozone and the Schengen Area.

He expressed his satisfaction that in this year alone, Croatia has opened the Pelješac Bridge, completed access roads, integrated Baranja with the Vc corridor in the network of Croatian highways, and will soon complete the second tube of the Učka tunnel, the highway towards Lekenik, and other significant road infrastructure projects that will improve Croatia’s transportation network.

Plenković also mentioned other projects in the pipeline, such as completing the highway from Dolj to Dubrovnik, a fast road from Ćilipi Airport to the city, completing the road on the remaining part of Pelješac, connecting Metković to the highway, which will bring together all that is strategically important for the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. 

Given Croatia’s internationally strengthened position, financial and economic standing, the Prime Minister is convinced that appropriate funds will be available in the years to come to realize all of these projects.

“These are a whole series of major projects that are changing Croatia for the better,” he concluded, expressing his pleasure for the county governor Dobroslavić and all the residents of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, particularly those in the southern region, and thanking everyone who participated in the project’s realization.