Green light given for preparatory works on section of Fruska Gora corridor that has been delayed for two years

“According to the contract, the Fruska Gora corridor should be completed in May 2025, but Zhang promised by March 2024,” was the announcement made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the start of the construction of this corridor in spring 2021. But neither the contract nor the aforementioned Zhang were followed, as both of these announcements have long since missed their deadlines. The Fruska Gora corridor, or the Novi Sad-Ruma expressway, is still under construction, and now the question is whether it will be completed next year, which is the latest official deadline for its completion, after several extensions.

In the meantime, the Provincial Secretariat for Energy, Construction and Transport has issued, to the Roads of Serbia, a decision on a construction permit that approved preparatory works on the section of the future Novi Sad-Ruma expressway.

With this decision, as specified, the PE Roads of Serbia, as the investor, is allowed to carry out works that precede the construction of the Novi Sad-Ruma IB expressway. Specifically, this concerns section 1 (E-75 motorway loop – Paragovo with the planned route of the IIa state road No. 100 from Zezelj Bridge to the E-75 motorway loop).

The approved works concern the clearing of the terrain and removal of humus to the elevations envisaged by the project, wide excavations of earth material and the installation and protection of geosynthetics as needed and backfilling of the material. The works also include the construction of a supporting structure made of piles, slope protection, relocation of existing infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted traffic.

The Novi Sad-Ruma expressway will be slightly less than 50 km long, and its construction began on May 1, 2021, when it was planned and announced that the works would be completed three years later. The road will have four lanes of three and a half meters, without stop lanes, and will connect the highways to Sid and Subotica.

The value of the project is estimated at EUR 606 million, and the main contractor is the Chinese company CRBC.

Part of this road is the Iriski venac tunnel, as well as the so-called fifth Novi Sad bridge, which is under construction and whose connection is announced for next month.

As announced in October by President Aleksandar Vucic, this high-speed road, also known as the Fruska Gora Corridor, is to be completed in 2027.

D. A.

Pokrajinski sekretarijat za energetiku, građevinarstvo i saobraćaj Novi Sad

JP Putevi Srbije Beograd

Provincial Secretariat for Energy Construction and Transport

Roads of Serbia

Fruška Gora Corridor

Novi Sad Ruma high speed road