DODIK: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA CAN NO LONGER WAIT FOR AGREEMENT IN BRČKO

BRČKO, JULY 10 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska can no longer wait for an agreement within Brčko District on the route of the planned motorway, prompting a decision to temporarily connect the planned interchange points via the existing main road and the Brčko bypass, President Milorad Dodik has stated today.

Speaking after the meeting in Brčko on the issue, Dodik reiterated that certain actors within Brčko District had shown no willingness to reach the best possible solution, forcing Republika Srpska to adapt to the current situation on the ground so that the vital infrastructure project would not be delayed.

He explained that construction of the motorway through Republika Srpska is proceeding according to schedule, while the planned interchange points will connect to the existing main road, which will be further upgraded by the public company Roads of Republika Srpska. The road will then be linked on both sides to the Brčko bypass.

Dodik reminded that Republika Srpska had previously offered to assume full responsibility for the motorway route through Brčko District, finance its construction and obtain a concession, but said the proposal, along with several alternative options submitted later, had been rejected by the district authorities.

He said that connecting the motorway via the existing main road had become the only practical solution because the project could not simply end at the boundary of Brčko District.

Brčko Mayor Siniša Milić confirmed that no progress had been made within the district in reaching agreement on the motorway route, making the alternative solution the only realistic option.

According to Milić, the planned interchange points connecting Republika Srpska with Brčko will remain unchanged. Access roads will be built from those points to the existing main road running through the district, which will then connect to the Brčko bypass, creating a functional link for the continuation of the motorway toward Bijeljina and Banja Luka.

In addition to Dodik and Milić, the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Savo Minić, Minister of Transport Zoran Stevanović and representatives of the company Motorways of Republika Srpska.