Oleg Butković, minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Josip Škorić, CEO of the Croatian Roads, Marko Filipović, mayor of the City of Rijeka, Vojko Braut, deputy president of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and representatives of the contractor attended the breakthrough ceremony in which the last meters of the stone material separating the two sides of the Podmurvice tunnel portal were drilled.

The construction of state road D403 is currently one of the largest infrastructural projects in Croatia, which will connect the Škurinje junction on the Rijeka bypass and the western part of the port of Rijeka – the Zagreb container terminal. The completion of works is scheduled for mid-2023.

Minister Butković pointed out that Rijeka is an illustrative example of how to prepare large projects. “As a state, we have shown that we know how to prepare and implement projects financed by the European Union. The construction of this road is important for the development of the port of Rijeka, namely the Zagreb container terminal, for which a concessionaire has been successfully selected. Recently, several billion kuna has been invested in Rijeka through various projects in order to make it the most important port of the North Adriatic,” said Butković.

Marko Filipović, Rijeka mayor also expressed his satisfaction with the progress of works on state road D403 and the breakthrough of Podmurvice tunnel. “If everything continues according to plan, this road should be opened to traffic in June next year, to the satisfaction of all citizens, and also economic operators. With this road, the port of Rijeka will be connected with the network of Croatian motorways and become the starting point of the European corridors, which is part of both our and national strategy. Also, this road, as part of the network of city roads, will significantly relieve traffic in the western and central part of the city,” said Filipović.

The project worth HRK 520,010,000.00 is mainly financed by grants under the European Regional Development Fund, Operational Program: Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.

The total available grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under this project proposal amounts to HRK 442,008,500.00, or 85% of eligible costs, while the remaining 15% of funds representing national co-financing are provided from the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia, totalling HRK 520,010,000.00.

The construction of the three-kilometre-long road includes the construction of several complex structures, such as Podmurvice tunnel (approx. 1253 m), Piopi viaduct (approx. 316 m) and Mlaka viaduct (approx. 144 m). The project for the construction of this road is part of the strategic project of the Republic of Croatia – the Rijeka Gateway Project.

The section in question is being built by the community of economic operators, companies  KOLEKTOR CPG from Slovenia, GP KRK from Croatia, and EURO-ASFALT from Bosnia and Herzegovina.