Montenegro eyes high-speed road completion by 2030

The process of designing the route of the future bypass, from the Sutorina to Zelenika villages on both sides of Herceg Novi, has been in progress, with an option to extend the future road to the village of Morinj in the northeast, the head of Herceg Novi's municipality, Stavan Katic, said in a statement issued by the transport ministry on Sunday, after Katic's meeting with transport minister Filip Radulovic.

The project will significantly cut the travel time and distance from Herceg Novi to the cities of Kotor and Niksic, Katic said.

The construction works will likely start next year and will help solve at least part of the traffic problem in Herceg Novi, he added.

Herceg Novi is a major tourist destination on Montenegro's Adriatic coast and a popular spa and health centre. It is located close to the border of Croatia, at the western entrance of Montenegro's picturesque Bay of Kotor. The city of Kotor lies on the east side of the bay, while the second largest city of Niksic is some 90 km away to the north, located in the country's central-west.

Last month, Montenegro's state-run motorway operator Monteput opened a new tender for the preparation of a preliminary design for an overpass on the Herceg Novi-Budva high-speed road which should represent an overpass bridge over the Bay of Kotor.

The Herceg Novi-Budva high-speed road will run along the Montenegrin coast from the border with Croatia to the border with Albania. Apart from the overpass bridge over the Bay of Kotor, the project will also include a bypass to the Adriatic town of Tivat, located on the eastern side of the bay.