Construction of first section of Nis-Merdare-Pristina highway in 2018 – Value of works EUR 212 million

Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic stated today that the construction of the first section of the Nis-Merdare-Pristina, from Nis to Plocnik, the value of which is EUR 212 million, should begin in 2018.

– The preliminary design is being prepared, financed by the Western Balkans Fund. The Government of Serbia has completed the spatial plan, which should be adopted soon, so that the expropriation on the Nis-Plocnik section could begin in November – the minister said ahead of the meeting with the director of the Western Balkans Office of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Dubravka Negre.

She pointed out that the highway from Nis to Pristina was a bigger priority at the moment than connecting Nis to the Ibar highway, as the Nis and Toplica Districts had over half a million residents, and the highway would contribute to the creation of new jobs and new investments.

The construction of the highway from Nis to Merdare is estimated to cost EUR 855 million.

Dubravka Negre said that a big part of the funds for the construction of the Nis-Pristina highway would come from EU grants, further increasing its cost-effectiveness.

She confirmed that the loans of the EIB for the route would be favorable and that the bank only enters projects which are economically and technically feasible and cost-effective.

She pointed out that a bypass route around Prokuplje, a traffic bottleneck, would be constructed as well.

Minister Mihajlovic announced that there would also be negotiations with the EIB about the financing of electrification and modernization of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway and the bypass route around Nis, the total value of which is EUR 260 million.

Negre said that EUR 75 million of EU grants had already been approved for that purpose, whereas the rest was to be credited by the EIB. The Government of Serbia is to provide the money for the expropriation.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

EIB

Vlada Republike Srbije

Western Balkans Fund

Nis Merdare Pristina highway

Nis Plocnik highway

Nis Pristina highway

Plocnik

Nis Dimitrovgrad railway

electrification of Nis Dimitrovgrad railway

modernization of Nis Dimitrovgrad railway

bypass route around Nis

Zorana Mihajlovic

Dubravka Negre

highway of peace