Pelješac bridge

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This article or section contains information about a future bridge, which is under construction.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction completed, and more information becomes available on it.

Location of the Pelješac bridge in Southern Croatia (in red)

The Pelješac bridge is a bridge currently under construction, connecting the Croatian peninsula of Pelješac with the Croatian mainland. Because the Croatian mainland is intersected by a small strip of Bosnian coast around the town of Neum, the bridge will also physically connect the southernmost part of Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia. According to the prime minister, the bridge will not be part of the extension of the A1 highway, currently connecting Zagreb with Split [1].

Construction works of the bridge officially began on November 10, 2005 with an inaugural speech by prime minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader [2]. The bridge will be 2374 metres long, and in the middle 35 metres high. The estimated cost of the whole project is € 250-300 million. Completion of the bridge is planned for 2008, and opening is planned for summer 2009.

The start of the construction of the bridge caused some trouble between the Croatian and Bosnian governments. The Bosnian government opposes the building of the bridge, for it made it impossible for large ships to enter Neum. Although the harbour of Neum currently cannot be used for commercial traffic, the Bosnian government declared that in the future a new harbour might be built, and that the construction of the bridge would harm this ambition. Regardless of the dispute, an agreement between both governments is likely to happen in the near future[3].