January 18 (SeeNews) - Montenegrin state-run motorway operator Monteput plans to open for traffic by May the Smokovac-Matesevo section of the motorway linking the port city of Bar to the Serbian border, local media reported.
The previous management of Monteput did not take timely steps to procure the equipment necessary for the adequate maintenance of the motorway, public broadcaster RTCG quoted on Tuesday the managing director of Monteput, Milan Ljiljanic, as saying.
"We are conducting negotiations and working to provide the necessary conditions necessary for the continuation of the Bar-Boljare motorway, i.e. the Matesevo-Andrijevica and Andrijevica-Berane-Boljare sections," Ljiljanic said.
Earlier this month, capital investments minister Mladen Bojanic said the government hopes to start the construction of the Bar-Smokovac and Matesevo-Boljare sections of the motorway by the end of 2022.
The Smokovac-Metesevo section featuring 18 tunnels, 13 bridges, five viaducts, and four interchanges, is being built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The original deadline for the completion of the project was September but according to Montenegrin media reports, the Chinese company has requested an extension due to the coronavirus crisis. A total of 1,080 workers were hired for works on the project, including 460 Chinese citizens.