By indicative extension of the TEN-T to the Western Balkans, the highway Bar - Boljare has been included in the core regional transport network (Road Route 4). The highway, totalling about 180 km, will provide a strategic link from the Port of Bar on the Adriatic Coast to Boljare near the border with Serbia. This will be the shortest connection from Hungary and Romania through Serbia and Montenegro to southern Italy and Albania. The Bar - Boljare highway will also link the ports on the Adriatic Sea with ports on the Danube (Corridor VII and Corridor X) and, ultimately, with the entire Pan-European corridor network.
The development of the Bar-Boljare highway will have an impact on attracting transit goods and traffic flows, shortening transit times and generating cost savings, which will result in better exploitation of the Montenegrin economic potential and attract new foreign direct investment (FDI).
The highway is planned to be built in four phases:
So far, Phase I, the section Smokovac-Matesevo, has been completed and put into commercial use in July 2022.
In the context of a globally changing environment and high inflation rates, which in turn reflect in market prices, it is deemed necessary to update the existing Feasibility Study to i) assess potential cost-saving options; ii) re-estimate the CAPEX for each option based on current market prices; iii) update the traffic forecasts taking into consideration actual data from the opened section, and iv) re-assess the implementation plan, confirming the order of implementation of the relevant sections or propose the new one.
Technical assistance, provided through WBIF, will also encompass the preparation of Detailed Design and tender documentation for Matesevo-Andrijevica or Smokovac-Farmaci, in accordance with the FS findings.
