February 27 (SeeNews) - Autoputevi RS, the state-owned motorway operator of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb Republic, said it has signed a 347 million marka ($187.2 million/177.4 million euro) contract with China Overseas Engineering Group Co and China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co for the construction of a motorway section from Brcko to Bijeljina.
The project will be funded through a loan by China Construction Bank Europe, Autoputevi RS said in a press release last week.
The Chinese consortium submitted the lowest bid in a tender for the construction of the motorway launched in December.
The 17-kilometre-long motorway section will be part of a planned motorway that will link Serbia's capital Belgrade to Banja Luka, the Serb Republic's administrative centre.
The Serb Republic is one of two autonomous entities that form Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other one is the Federation.
(1 euro = 1.95583 marka)