Present at the ceremony of the signing of the agreement, which was held in the Adriatic city of Split, were Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and competent ministers from his cabinet.
The consortium including eight companies: Konstruktor Inzenjering, Viadukt, Hidroelektra Niskogradnja, Ceste Varazdin, Zagorje Tehnobeton, Strabag Zagreb, Osijek Koteks and Ingra, offered the best tender with the price of 4.99 billion kuna for the construction of the said section.
Until 21 January this year four bids were sent for the building of the Dugopolje-Ploce section, and the Croatian consortium's offer was assessed as the best because of the proposed price and deadlines, the chairman of the HAC managing board, Mario Crnjak said in Split today.
The Dugopolje-Ploce section is to be finished in 2008 when Croatia is expected to have a total of 1,120 kilometres in highways' network.
Expressing satisfaction with the conclusion of the agreement, Prime Minister Sanader said the construction of this highway meant that dreams of many generations were coming true.
The premier said his cabinet was supporting all the projects for the construction of highways in the entire country.