Last September 4th, an official ceremony took place to officially open the motorway section Počitelj – Zvirovići and the new Hercegovina Bridge, which is among the highest bridges in Southeast Europe, with its highest pillar (of a total of six) being over 100 meters high. The bridge, classified as a prestressed concrete frame structure with 7 spans with a total length of 945 meters, is also unique in that all four lanes of the highway are located on one single structure.

The event, which obtained a lot of media coverage, was headed by the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Nermin Nikšić, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Andrej Plenkovi, the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mrs. Borjana Krišto, the Director of JP Autoceste FBIH (Motorways of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mr. Denis Lasić, the Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in Bosnia, Mr. Stefano Ellero, the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Mr. Robert de Groot, as well as other important authorities and senior staff from the contractor, the designer, and the supervision team.

Attendees were greeted and addressed by the director of JP Autoceste FBIH, Mr. Denis Lasić. “We will not stop with the construction of the highway through Herzegovina. We will also continue to connect the southern part of the country with the new 30 kilometers to Mostar north by the end of the year”, said Lasic. He also thanked the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank for their continuous financial support to numerous projects on corridor Vc.

In 2019, IRD Engineering signed a contract with JP Autoceste FBIH for the provision of construction supervision services on the Motorway on Corridor Vc Section Pocitelj – Bijaca, Subsection Pocitelj – Zvirovici, to carry out the duties of “the Engineer” in accordance with FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction for Building and Engineering Works Designed by the Employer – First edition 1999 – (Red Book).

The overall objective of the assignment was to ensure a high-quality construction and that all works are carried out in full compliance with the engineering design, technical specification described in the civil works contracts, so that the contractor completes the construction within the agreed total price and time schedule.

The construction of the Hercegovina Bridge has been financed from funds secured under a loan agreement concluded with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and from grants from the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

At IRD Engineering, we feel honoured and grateful for having participated in this important contract in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country where we have a permanent and stable presence thanks to the efforts of a team of honest and committed professionals. To all of them, to our subcontractor PPG Doo Sarajevo, and to all parties involved in the successful implementation of this project, a big thanks for making it possible.

If at any time you have any questions or want to give us your feedback, please e-mail us at info@irdeng.com