Chinese to build bridge in Belgrade – construction of bridge across the Danube, between Zemun and Borča, may start next year

Construction of the bridge across the Danube, between Zemun and Borča, could start already next year. As Mayor Dragan Đilas announced, the negotiations with the Government of China, which should finance this project, are underway. During the President of Serbia’s visit to this country, which will take place in May, the intensive talks about that project will be continued.

Mayor Đilas is of the opinion that this arrangement can be agreed on within the next two months, and that the contract may be signed already next year. According to the General Land-utilization Plan, this bridge should "stretch" from the curve towards Novi Sad in settlement Altina to settlement Crvenka near Borča. The exact position of the bridge will be known as soon as the main project is completed and all ownership-legal relations resolved.

This bridge will disburden the traffic in "inner ring" in Belgrade, and the Directorate for Building Land has, so far, elaborated the general project and finished the justification study.

- Depending on the model of finance, both preliminary and main project for this bridge should be elaborated – says Nenad Bajić from the Directorate for Building Land.

- Financing is a special theme that is the subject of the Mayor’s negotiations. The costs of construction of capital facilities in Belgrade are partially covered from the loans, while the rest is paid from the budget.

People in the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia are of the opinion that local companies have skills to build this bridge.

- We will fight, as the Chamber of Commerce, to give the priority to our companies, such as "Ratko Mitrović" – says Goran Rodić from the Civil Engineering Association within the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia.

- In that way, Serbian companies would get another reference for the works abroad. According to the last year’s plan, ferryboats were supposed to use that route across the Danube until the bridge is built. This type of transportation was supposed to connect the location of "Goveđi brod" ("DIA") on Zemun’s side with the junction near "Bami" in Borča.

According to this idea, this type of transportation would shorten the time taken for crossing the Danube nearly three times.