The construction of the Prenj tunnel has been announced for years as one of the most important infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been talked about since the first plans for Corridor 5C, but despite numerous announcements and promises, concrete progress towards the start of construction has been absent for a long time.
However, in recent months there has been a new hope that the project could finally be implemented. American companies have expressed interest in financing and building the tunnel, and construction giant Bechtel, one of the largest infrastructure companies in the world, stands out among them, writes BiznisInfo.ba.
What makes this interest particularly significant is the fact that it is not just about a potential new contractor, but about a completely different model of project implementation.
The previous plans were mainly related to financing through European financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Such projects involve complex tender procedures, multi-year preparations, numerous studies, appeal deadlines and detailed contractor selection processes, which is especially pronounced in projects worth hundreds of millions of marks.
On the other hand, the model advocated by American companies is based on a concession approach or direct partnership arrangements that enable significantly faster implementation. In such a model, contracts can be concluded in a much shorter time than through the classic procedures of international development banks.
As an example, the Southern Interconnection project is often cited, where the American involvement helped to start the processes after a long-term standstill. This is precisely why the interest of American companies is seen by many as a potential turning point for the project, which for years has been considered the most important unfinished link of Corridor 5C.
The longest tunnel in the history of BiH
The Prenj tunnel is planned as the central facility of the future highway between Sarajevo and Mostar. According to the existing projects, its length will be about 10.9 kilometers, which will make it the longest road tunnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, and one of the longest in Southeast Europe.
The tunnel will pass directly under the Prenj mountain massif, one of the most imposing and geologically demanding mountains in the country. However, what particularly impresses is not only its length but the depth at which it will be located.
In some parts of the route above the tunnel, there will be as much as 1,300 meters of rock, that is, the tunnel pipes will pass more than one kilometer below the surface of the mountain. Experts point out that it is precisely this huge layer that makes Prenj one of the most technically demanding tunnel projects in Europe. In other words, drivers will pass as much as 1.3 kilometers below the peaks of Prenje on some sections.
The project is worth more than one billion KM
Cost estimates have grown significantly over the years, and today the value of the project is estimated at between 1.1 and 1.2 billion convertible marks.
This makes the Prenj tunnel the most expensive single facility on the entire Corridor 5C and one of the largest infrastructure projects ever launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Without its construction, it is practically impossible to complete the full highway connection between Sarajevo and Mostar.
What will the tunnel contain?
In addition to its impressive length, Prenj will be one of the most technologically advanced traffic facilities in the country. It is planned to have:
two completely separate tunnel tubes, two traffic lanes in each direction, safety passages between evacuation tubes, modern ventilation systems; video surveillance and automatic incident detection, fire alarm and extinguishing systems, central control center for traffic management.
Due to its length, the tunnel will have to meet the strictest European safety standards that apply to large road tunnels.
The biggest unknown is hidden underground
Although the length and cost of the project are most often discussed, experts warn that the biggest challenge is the geology of Prenje.
The mountain is known for its extremely complex karst terrain, underground waters, caves, caverns and numerous geological faults. During construction, it is possible to encounter unforeseen underground cavities and water courses, which can significantly affect the dynamics of the works.
This is precisely why the Prenj tunnel is often described as “the great unknown”, because even the most detailed research cannot fully reveal what lies more than a kilometer below the mountain massif.
Sarajevo and Mostar closer than ever
One of the main goals of the project is to significantly shorten the journey between Sarajevo and Mostar. With the completion of the Prenj highway and tunnel, it is expected that the drive between the two largest cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will last approximately one hour, with significantly greater safety and less congestion compared to today’s main road through the Neretva valley.
In addition, the completion of this section represents a key step towards the completion of Corridor 5C, the traffic route that connects Central Europe with the Adriatic.
The Prenj Tunnel has long outgrown the scope of an ordinary infrastructure project. Its implementation is considered crucial for the completion of Corridor 5C, but also for a stronger connection of Bosnia and Herzegovina with European transport networks.
If the plans finally move from the announcement phase to the construction phase, BiH could get one of the most impressive road structures in this part of Europe – a mega tunnel almost 11 kilometers long, which in some places will pass as much as 1.3 kilometers below the surface of the Prenj mountain, it says. Biznis.info.
