CONSTRUCTION OF ZAGREB-LIPOVAC HIGHWAY TO RESUME SOON

ZAGREB, Oct 14 (Hina) - Construction works on the Zagreb-Lipovac highway (on the border with Yugoslavia) section from Velika Kopanica to Zupanja will resume soon, the Croatian Government decided on Thursday. It is expected that the 25.95-km-long section will be completed by July 2001. The value of the investment (including a bridge over the future Sava-Danube canal) is estimated at approximately one billion kuna (about US$143 million). The Zagreb-Lipovac highway is certainly one of the main roads in Croatia, said the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport, and Communications, Ivan Pavlovic, adding that the road links western and eastern Croatia and is in the 10th European corridor linking west and east Europe and running further to the Near and Middle East. So far, a 208.4-km-long section of the highway between Zagreb and Velika Kopanica has been constructed, and there is still a 56.4-km- long section to Lipovac to be built. The construction of the Velika Kopanica-Zupanja section will be financed from the state budget, except for the canal Danube-Sava. Bids will soon be invited for the construction of the canal. A total of 817.11 million kuna (almost US$117 million) will have to be secured in the next three years for the construction of that section of the highway. This year, a total of 100 million kuna (about US$14.3 million) will have to be secured. One half of the money will come from the budget, and the rest will be secured in that the Finance Ministry will issue bonds to the Croatian Road Management, to be paid in June next year. The Croatian Road Management will negotiate the construction of all works, except for those on the bridge, with a group of construction companies from eastern Slavonia. (hina) jn rml