February 24 (SeeNews) - Bosnian company Enikon Gradnja is due to launch next month the construction of the Bratunac-Ljubovija border crossing with Serbia over the river Drina worth 14.5 million marka ($8.0 million/7.4 million euro), local media reported on Monday.
The agreement with the contractor should be signed this week, as the completion deadline is 350 days, officials of Bosnia's Indirect Taxation Office (UIO) told news portal Glas Srpske.
"We are waiting to sign the contract and as soon as we do that, we are ready to start construction and complete it within the deadline," Glas Srpske quoted representatives from Enikon Gradnja as saying.
According to earlier media reports, 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 construction of the 277-metre Bratoljub bridge over the river Drina lasted from October 2015 to May 2017 and cost some 13 million euro, the report said.
Serbia has already completed the construction of the bridge and the access roads to the facility on its territory, while Bosnia's Serb Republic entity has built the access roads on its side. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to build the customs terminal and a border crossing with a 2,000 square metre roof.
The bridge links Bosnia's Bratunac with Ljubovija on the Serbian side.
The Serb Republic is one of two autonomous entities forming Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other one is the Federation.
(1 euro = 1.95583 marka)