Gradiska's Old Border Crossing to Reopen by Late October
Miroslav Jankovic, head of Republika Srpska Roads, says the old crossing to Croatia, closed since May, could reopen to cars and buses.
The old Gradiska border crossing to Croatia, closed since May, could take travelers again by the end of October. Miroslav Jankovic, director of Republika Srpska Roads, announced this on RTRS’s morning program, saying the conditions for reopening are in place. Since the closure, all traffic through Gradiska has gone via the new crossing, so the old one’s return would also bring back the trade of a town that lived off it.
The crossing was closed in May, when part of an overpass and a concrete barrier collapsed. According to Jankovic, repairs are partly done.
What exactly has been announced?
Construction work should be finished within seven to ten days. Jankovic put it this way:
Part of the work has been done, and the other part will be done in the next seven to 10 days. The conditions for opening have been created.
The end-of-October target is not a guarantee, because works alone will not be enough for a full reopening. Jankovic said formal decisions from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Indirect Taxation Authority (UIO) will also be needed, though he believes they will not take long. The crossing’s capacity has not been set yet, and the director of Republika Srpska Roads expects some restrictions will probably apply.
Who will be able to cross?
According to Jankovic, the crossing would open to only part of the traffic:
I expect it to be open for passenger traffic and buses.
Trucks would keep using the new crossing, which has better facilities for them. Gradiska Mayor Zoran Adzic said the town insists on exactly that: the old crossing for international traffic of passenger vehicles and buses, without freight vehicles, which also prevents congestion in the town center. Adzic described the restored traffic over the bridge as a chance for service businesses, entrepreneurs and the tourist offer.
What did the closure mean for local businesses?
Shops and restaurants stand near the old crossing, and their customers were mostly people crossing the border. Business dropped sharply after the closure, and some nearby shops have shut down. Vladan Surlan, a Gradiska restaurant owner, told RTRS:
The main customers were the people who crossed over the bridge.
Surlan sees the reopening as a return to the old days, when business was going well.
Why is the bridge still not fully sorted out?
The reopening is a temporary fix, not the end of the story. Jankovic said the overpasses leading to the bridge at the border are in poor condition and that the structure of the bridge itself must be examined, since there is no data on the quality of its steel or concrete. A tender has been issued for the two overpasses leading to the bridge, and a decision will be made between repair and full replacement.
The director expects the work on those overpasses next year, and says another suspension of traffic will follow:
I expect that work next year, there will be another suspension, but the deadlines will be short and we will finish quickly.
Jankovic added that next year citizens can expect a large investment cycle across the entire road network in Republika Srpska. If UIO makes the necessary decisions, cars and buses could cross the old bridge at Gradiska again, with restrictions and with the short suspension announced for next year.
