Bridge over Cetina connected; Plenković: This is good news for Omiš and Dalmatia

The Cetina bridge over the Cetina River canyon in Omiš was connected today, and it is expected that it will be possible to drive over it from the autumn. The bridge is 224.45 meters long and is part of the Omiš bypass construction project. It spans over the Cetina with a steel arch, the ends of which are secured in tunnels on both sides of the bridge, so its length is greater than the visible structure. The value of the works is EUR 23.16 million (without VAT), and it is a project whose realization will contribute to the traffic relief of the city center of Omiš and reduce congestion.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was present at the merger, who stated that the merger of the Cetina bridge is "a good thing for Omiš, Dalmatia and Split-Dalmatia County" and that he believes that the Omiš bypass will be completed by autumn and that it will be possible to drive on the bridge then.

As he said, the bridge is an important facility on the future Solin - Stobreč - Dugi Rat - Omiš road, which will be crucial for relieving traffic on the Adriatic highway, especially during the summer tourist rush.

“The Cetina bridge is another contribution to investments in road infrastructure in Croatia,” said Plenković and recalled other major transport projects, such as the highway connecting Baranja with the highway network, the D403 road in Rijeka, the construction of the second tube of the Učka tunnel and the Lekenik - Sisak highway - Petrinja.

The Prime Minister did not want to state the date of completion of the entire road from Solin to Omiš, because it depends on public procurement and tenders, but he said that the part from Makarska to Omiš will be finished by autumn.

“The government's idea is to go as fast as possible,” he added.

He believes that Omiš gained additional value with the construction of the Cetina bridge.

“This project is beautiful, it in some way refines the view of the Cetina canal,” he said.

A new package of measures will be presented next week

Prime Minister Plenković announced that a package of measures will be presented next week. The goal, he said, is to work in the interest of citizens and the economy, to ensure two key points:

“One is that we have security of energy supply at all times, which happened in 2022, there was never a shortage of gas or electricity. If for a moment there was a lack of blue diesel somewhere, it was resolved in the same day. Another element is - an affordable price,” he said.

“This strong element of subsidizing gas and electricity prices was crucial for us to get through the fall and winter so that the price of energy products did not affect the standard of citizens and their household budget,” said the Prime Minister.

The bridge is 224.45 meters long and worth 23 million euros

The bridge is 224.45 meters long and is being built as part of the Omiš bypass construction project. It spans the Cetina with a steel arch, the ends of which are secured in tunnels on both sides of the bridge, so its length is greater than the visible structure.

During the connection, it seemed that the builders were not precise and that the bridge would not be well connected in its center, because its ends coming out of the two tunnels were not at the same height, but that was actually a special technique of building and connecting the structure, where that is foreseen.

The value of the works is EUR 23.16 million (without VAT), and it is a project whose implementation will contribute to the reduction of traffic in the city center of Omiš and the reduction of congestion.

The first part of the section connected to the Dugi Rat road (DC8) - Dugi Rat junction – Omiš junction is 2,800 meters long, which includes connection to the Adriatic highway, and the development of the main projects is underway.

During this year, it is planned to obtain a building permit, and in the procurement plan for 2023, it is planned to start the public procurement procedure for construction and supervision. The second part of the section is from Dugi Rat towards the Cetina bridge.

The bridge is the third part of the section, and after connecting the bridge, there will be drainage works in the tunnels, asphalting and installation of breakwaters.

The fourth part is also already under construction, it is a section just under three kilometers long, that is, the connection of the road to the DC8 state road.

The contractual deadline for the completion of all construction works is June 30 this year, and the Croatian Roads Agency expects that the section will be open for traffic this fall.

The construction of the bridge and bypass was presented in 2014 as part of the Multimodal Platform of the Split agglomeration Solin - Stobreč - Dugi rat - Omiš.

The Split Agglomeration Multimodal Platform project is divided into several phases, and the Dugi Rat Junction Road (DC8) section - Dugi Rat junction - Omiš junction is one of the phases of that project.

The investment is estimated at HRK 2.44 billion, and the total length of the project is 21.5 kilometers.

Source: HRT