Montenegro’s Bar‑Boljare highway enters design phase amid Chinese contract

A ceremony on 26 June in Mateševo, attended by state officials, EU representatives and the Chinese consortium PowerChina–STECOL–PCCD, marked the start of preparatory works for the Bar‑Boljare highway segment toward Andrijevica. Monteput confirmed that surveying, terrain checks, and access‑road planning are underway, but main construction on tunnels, bridges and the carriageway has not yet begun. The five‑year design‑and‑build contract with the Chinese consortium is valued at €693.97 million (net of VAT) and follows FIDIC Yellow Book rules, with specific deadlines for geotechnical and surveying revisions.

Meanwhile, Monteput published a pre‑qualification tender for the 10.5‑km Smokovac–Tološi section of the same corridor. The call, posted on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) portal, will remain open for 45 days and seeks qualified bidders for the main design and construction, including several bridges and a twin‑tube tunnel. The segment is planned with four traffic lanes, two stopping lanes, and a design speed of 100‑110 km/h, aiming to improve connectivity around the capital and support broader economic development in Montenegro.