BELGRADE (Serbia), July 24 (SeeNews) – China's Power Construction Corporation (Powerchina) and Azeri civil engineering company Azvirt started the construction of the Ostruznica-Bubanj Potok stretch of the Belgrade bypass road, the Serbian government said on Tuesday.
Serbia plans to invest $207 million (176.8 million euro) in the construction of the section, which will have a length of 19.5 kilometres, the government said in a statement.
The construction of the bypass road will allow Serbia to attract passengers and freight travelling to Greece and Turkey, Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic said during the official ceremony for the start of the works, according to a statement by the government.
"I don't expect any problems with the contractors, as they will carry out the works as specified in the conditions of the agreement," infrastructure minister Zorana Mihajlovic said during the official ceremony, according to a video file posted on the website of Serbian news agency Tanjug on Tuesday.
Mihajlovic signed a 207 million euro deal with Powerchina in November 2016 for the construction of the Belgrade bypass. The funds will cover works on the 19.5 kilometre-long section from Ostruznica Bridge to Bubanj Potok, which include the construction of 22 bridges and four tunnels.
($ = 0.8541 euro)