The road from Foča (Brod na Drini) to Hum constitutes Bosnia and Herzegovina’s direct connection with Montenegro. It is also the shortest route from Central Europe to Albania via Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina and then through Montenegro. The road is currently in poor condition and poses numerous safety risks.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank (WB) are considering providing financing for the rehabilitation of existing and construction of new road sections along the Foča – Hum cross border road connection. The Project is aligned with the EU Economic Investment Plan for the Western Balkans and had been declared a Flagship 2 project ‘Connecting North to South’. The Foča – Hum Project is part of the Sarajevo – Podgorica route which belongs to the Route 2b of the TEN-T network extension in the Western Balkans.
The improvements will be largely on a new alignment and will allow for much higher safety specifications. Moreover, given that the road is in a hilly and mountainous area and prone to landslides and flooding caused by extreme weather events, the design will utilize the highest resilience standards. An improved road condition will also allow for better winter maintenance. The Project would also finance all necessary bridges and interchanges.
The objective of CONNECTA 2’s technical assistance is to carry out the due diligence of the proposed investment and to provide comprehensive and reliable information, analysis and recommendations the EBRD and the WB need in order to assess, structure and approve the Project. The scope of CONNECTA 2’s work includes the following main tasks:
- Technical Assessment;
- Demand Forecast;
- Economic Analysis;
- Green Assessments;
- Environmental and Social Assessment;
- Road Safety Audit; and
- Gender Analysis.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s geographical location defines its transport network as crucial for economic and regional integration. The current road network carries 90% of passenger and 80% of freight transport in the country. Despite a declining population, the motorization rate has increased by over 30% in the past decade, especially in road freight traffic while geographical features make development of other forms of traffic difficult and costly. The focus of the Project is to improve the quality and sustainability of the magistral road network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus enhance connectivity within BiH and with neighbouring countries, facilitate access to markets, and to support the country’s EU accession process.
To mark the start of CONNECTA 2 sub-project ‘Technical assistance for the preparation of due diligence of detailed design and cost estimate and gap analysis of the existing feasibility study, ESIA and design for Foca-Hum in BiH’, a kick-off meeting was held on 16 January 2025. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Srpska, the Public Enterprise for Roads of the Republic of Srpska, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the CONNECTA 2 team.
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Additional information on the assignment can be obtained by contacting Chris Germanacos, CONNECTA 2 Team Leader, at chris.germanacos@connecta-ta.eu.