Reconstruction of Gazela to finally start after 40 years - Putevi Srbije signed contract with Strabag

Public company Putevi Srbije and Austrian Strabag signed 58m EUR worth of contract today (March 15, 2010) for reconstruction of Belgrade's bridge Gazela. The works on reconstruction should start in seven days.

- The plan is that the reconstruction lasts for 22 months and that it comprises four phases - said the CEO of Putevi Srbije, Zoran Drobnjak, who signed the contract in Belgrade with Dragan Pavelić, the CEO of Strabag for Serbia.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted loans in 2007 to Putevi Srbije for financing the works on Gazela and access roads, but the withdrawal of the money was postponed because the conditions related to relocation of Roma people who lived under the bridge were not fulfilled.

It was said on the occasion of the signing of the loan contracts that the reconstruction of Gazela bridge and access roads would be financed from the loans of the EIB of 33m EUR and the EBRD of 25m EUR, the City of Belgrade was supposed to set aside 7.5m EUR, 4.8m EUR should be provided by Putevi Srbije, while the European Agency for Reconstruction was expected to donate 6.75m EUR.

The Board of Directors of EIB approved the first tranche of 10m EUR for reconstruction of Belgrade's bridge Gazela in order to enable commencement of emergency works, while the withdrawal of the rest of the money is conditioned by the fulfillment of all conditions related to aforementioned resettlement of Roma people.

Built in 1970, Gazela bridge across the Sava has not been reconstructed ever since.