Despite huge investments, the roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still among the worst in the region. Crowds, delays, landslides, bad signaling and frequent traffic accidents are a daily picture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. roads, while concrete progress is hard to see.
Citizens have been hearing about investments, loans and plans for years, but the quality of the roads remains the same – bad, he reports BHRT.
New credit, old promises
The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska recently adopted a decision on a new loan from the World Bank in the amount of 81.7 million euros. The planned funds, along with an additional grant of 6.5 million, are primarily intended for the construction of the road Foča – Šćepan Polje, about 15 kilometers long.
“The government has made a decision on the loan, and most of the funds go to the road Foča – Šćepan Polje”, said the Minister of Transport and Communications of the RS, Zoran Stevanović.
Corridor 5C still an elusive goal
And while the new loan is justified by important projects, the key state project – Corridor 5C – continues to progress slowly. Only a little more than a third of the shares were built.
“In 2014, we planned to finish Corridor 5C by 2021, but we won’t finish it even by the end of this mandate. The Prenj Tunnel has yet to start, and it will take 4-5 years,” said Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić.
Tuzla Canton, despite numerous initiatives and years of planning, still does not have a single kilometer of highway. The Tuzla – Brčko – Orašje projects remain at the level of documentation, preparation and expropriation.
Corruption – the biggest obstacle
Economists believe that the main problem is not lack of money, but non-transparent management and corruption.
“The biggest problem is corruption,” claims economist Adisa Omerbegović Arapović.
In the last three decades, billions of marks have been invested in road infrastructure through credits, loans, grants and dedicated taxes. Nevertheless, the quality of the roads remains at the very bottom of the European rankings, with a high rate of traffic accidents.
Experts: Improvements don’t have to cost millions
Traffic experts point out that road safety can be significantly improved even without large investments.
“We need to start with new vertical and horizontal signaling, visibility analysis and removal of impossible curves. These are measures that mean a lot and do not require millions of dollars,” says traffic expert Nikla Ćopić.
While entities continue to borrow, and deadlines are postponed for years, citizens continue to drive on the same bad roads. Lack of progress, non-transparent spending of money and constant delays cause increasing dissatisfaction.
Drivers say: it’s time to finally see concrete results instead of new promises – safer, faster and more modern roads.
