Supervision of Construction Works on the Mateševo–Andrijevica Subsection of the Bar–Boljare Highway in Montenegro

The Mateševo–Andrijevica subsection forms part of the planned Bar–Boljare Highway, a major north-south corridor improving national and regional connectivity in Montenegro. Stretching 22 kilometers through the mountainous northeast, the project traverses the municipalities of Kolašin and Andrijevica across eight cadastral units.

Approximately half of the route consists of engineered structures, including 32% bridges and 18% tunnels, with the remaining sections at ground level. Key infrastructure highlights include:

• Trešnjevik Tunnel: a 3.9 km twin-tube tunnel with two lanes in each direction, constructed using NATM and designed in compliance with EU tunnel safety regulations.
• Bridges and Structures: 54 structures in total, encompassing bridges, underpasses, overpasses, box culverts, and roundabouts.

Design speeds are set at 100 km/h for the highway, 30–60 km/h on interchange ramps, and 40–60 km/h on intersecting roads depending on their category. The highway cross-section includes four traffic lanes (2+2) of 3.5 m each, emergency lanes of 2×2.5 m, side shoulders, edge strips, and emergency bays on open sections, short tunnels, and bridges.

The project is supervised under a FIDIC Plant and Design-Build Contract (Yellow Book, 1999, 1st Edition) and includes a Design, Construction, and Defects Notification Period of 90 months: 3 months inception, 18 months design review, 42 months construction, 24 months DNP, and 3 months final reporting.

IRD Engineering’s responsibilities include:

• Pre-construction contract award activities
• Supervision of the Contractor’s Main Design and Works
• Approval of materials, methods of statement, and drawings
• Monitoring and recording of construction progress
• Proactive planning to prevent delays
• Technical assistance to ensure quality and compliance throughout execution