Contract signed for the development of the conceptual design for the expressway from Herceg Novi to Budva

Monteput has signed a contract with the Civil Engineering Institute from North Macedonia for the development of a Conceptual design for the section of the expressway from Herceg Novi to Budva, including the crossing over the Bay of Kotor. The contract value is 175,329 euros, including VAT, and the deadline for completing the Conceptual design is five months.

Figure 1: Map of constructed highways and planned highways and express roads

The creation of the Conceptual design for the sections marked on the map as numbers 9 and 10 aims to explore alternative corridors for the expressway and its connection to other parts of the main road network. The expressway begins in the Debeli Brijeg area, passes through the hinterland of Herceg Novi, reaches Tivat or Kotor, and connects to the section with a unified corridor from the Bratešići area towards Budva. Special attention must be paid to preserving the natural and cultural-historical area of Kotor during the design process to maintain its outstanding universal value in accordance with world heritage standards.

This documentation will serve as the basis for finalizing the location of this corridor in the Proposal for the Spatial Plan of Montenegro, the most important strategic planning document that determines national goals, rules, and measures for spatial development, in line with the overall economic, social, ecological, and cultural-historical development of the country.

The Government of Montenegro has identified five development corridors: the Bar - Boljare highway; the Adriatic - Ionian highway; the expressway along the Montenegrin coast; the Bijelo Polje - Pljevlja - BiH border expressway; and the Podgorica - Nikšić - Žabljak - Pljevlja expressway.

These five corridors are divided into 18 sections of highways and expressways, each representing separate construction and functional units. The development of technical documentation lays the groundwork for construction, which will depend on the construction dynamics in the region and securing financing.

The construction of the planned highways and expressways in Montenegro will significantly reduce travel time, increase safety, and improve traffic comfort.