ZAGREB, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- A major new infrastructure project in Croatia has been hailed as a beacon of successful cooperation between the country and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
Ivica Budimir, the chief executive officer of the state-run road operator Croatian Roads, attended a ground-breaking ceremony for the Pozega-Godinjak expressway held on Nov. 11, along with Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Butkovic and Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin.
"This is currently the largest project that Croatian Roads is working on," Budimir told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday, adding that Croatian Roads has already worked with CRBC on the Peljesac Bridge and the Vucevica road project in Split.
The contract to build the 14.75-km Pozega-Godinjak expressway, with a value of 160 million euros (185.6 million U.S. dollars), was signed in May between the CRBC and Croatian Roads. The project includes the construction of a tunnel, three overpasses, and six underpasses.
Once construction work on this project is completed, which is estimated to take four years, the expressway will connect Pozega and Godinjak in eastern Croatia. The goal is to facilitate transport and boost economic development in the area.
Budimir said the expressway project is challenging: although it is only about 15 km long, a 1600-meter tunnel must be constructed through very difficult terrain, in addition to overpasses and underpasses. "It will be quite demanding to work on, especially in winter conditions," he said.
Nevertheless, Budimir expressed his confidence in CRBC, with whom past and ongoing collaborations have been smooth and successful. He said: "I am sure that this deadline will be met. I even have indications from the CRBC that they might do it at an accelerated pace."
Beyond bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, Budimir said Croatia and China are also cooperating well in the energy sector and on development projects. Looking forward, he added, "Cooperation will certainly continue in the coming years."
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