CROATIA’S PELJESAC BRIDGE FINALLY PROVIDES DIRECT LINK FROM SPLIT TO DUBROVNIK
The construction of the Peljesac bridge is of utmost importance for Croatia as it unifies the country by linking the Peljesac Peninsula to the continent without having to transit through Bosnia.
For locals and visitors, the bridge will help to avoid them having to cross through Bosnia Herzegovina and two border controls, speeding up travel time between Dubrovnik and Split.
The Peljesac bridge is one of the biggest infrastructure projects undertaken in Croatia. All together, the project required investment of €525 million, of which €357m was provided by EU regional development funds.
Construction of the Peljesac Bridge began in 2018 with companies from China, Austria and Greece involved in the development of the bridge and the access roads.
Providing unity for the entire Croatia
The 2.4 km bridge is of huge significance for Croatia. The link reaches out from the mainland to the Peljesac peninsula that connects it to the southern part of the Adriatic coast and the popular city of Dubrovnik. Until now, as a result of the partition, some 90,000 people remained cut off from the rest of the country. The bridge will cut travel time by 37 minutes along the Adriatic coastline, improving people’s lives and increasing economic opportunities for the region.
Until the addition of the bridge, any visitors travelling from the Peljesac Peninsula had to pass through Bosnia Herzegovina territory along the Neum Corridor. This meant visitors getting caught up in regular traffic jams and having to pass through two borders.
The opening of this direct link along the Croatian Adriatic is even of utmost importance as Croatia is due to join the Schengen area next year. One of its duties as part of the Schengen area is to strictly check any entry from outside the country. Once the country is admitted into the Schengen area, Croatian border controls with Bosnia Herzegovina are likely to be reinforced.
