Despite the coronavirus pandemic, constructions on the Pelješac Bridge, the most important infrastructure project in the county, are going full speed. The Pacific Alert ship, which delivered 13 elements of the steel load-bearing structure, sailed into the construction site of the Pelješac Bridge in Komarno this Tuesday.
“A further 15 segments of the steel load-bearing structure are being prepared for loading. They haven’t arrived yet, but they should be here in a month,” says the project manager Goran Legac from Hrvatske ceste.
Projections are being made now that will include solving the difficulties regarding the supply of materials from China. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are three months late.
“We expect Pelješac Bridge to be completed next year. The deadline is July 30. The pandemic will certainly affect the deadline, but we still don’t know to what extent. The contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is trying his best,” said Legac. Most of the workers on the construction site are employees of the CRBC and are accompanied with a large administrative and management staff.
The total length of the bridge over the Mali Ston canal is 2440 meters. The bridge is a total of 22.5 meters wide and the traffic area on the bridge will consist of two pavements, and each pavement includes a 3.5-meter-wide lane and a 2.5-meter-wide stop lane.
Pelješac Bridge is a part of the South Dalmatia Road Connection project. In addition to the 2.4-kilometer-long bridge, the project also includes the construction of 30 kilometers of access roads. According to the contract, Pelješac Bridge must be completed by the end of July 2021, while the access roads should be finalized in June 2022.
Photo/Video: Zvonimir Pandža
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