January 27 (SeeNews) - Bosnian company Enikon Gradnja is due to launch next month construction works on the Bratunac-Ljubovija border crossing with Serbia over the river Drina worth 14.5 million marka ($8.2 million/7.4 million euro), local media reported.
The contractor should start works in the second half of February, officials of Bosnia's Indirect Taxation Office (UIO) told news portal Glas Srpske on Saturday.
The launch of the construction works was delayed because Bosnia had provided only 7.5 million marka for the project before the country's council of ministers raised the estimated costs to 14.5 million marka from 11 million marka in December.
The initial project design for the border crossing, signed back in 2017, envisaged the construction of an international border checkpoint for people and goods that do not require inspection. In 2018, another agreement was signed by the governments of Bosnia and Serbia, defining the checkpoint as suitable for the transit of people and the import, export and transit of all kind of goods including those that do not require inspection.
According to the initial plans, the border crossing was due to open to traffic in 2019.
Serbia has already completed the construction of the 227-metre Bratoljub bridge over the river Drina and the access roads to the facility on its territory.
The bridge links Bosnia's Bratunac with Ljubovija on the Serbian side.
The constructio of the border crossing should be completed in 350 working days.
(1 euro = 1.95583 marka)