A major business association in Bosnia wants renovation work on the Crnaja Tunnel to be delayed until better bypass routes can be planned.
In a letter to the government, the Union of Business of Federal Bosnia and Herzegovina said work on the two-lane tunnel would greatly disrupt truck transport along on the Jablanica-Konjic segment of the M-17 highway. Now, during a time when many businesses are suffering financial loss due to the COVID pandemic, is not the time to further hamper any economic recovery.
The M17 is part of European route E73 and runs from northern Croatian border in Šamac towards southern Croatian border near Čapljina.
A €6.5 million contract for reconstruction of the road section and tunnel was announced in June last year and is being funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as well as the European Investment Bank.
The project has run into poor soil conditions and road transport is often severely disrupted because few alternative routes exist for heavy goods vehicles, noted a report by the Bosnian national news agency FENA.