Stara Straževica tunnel on bypass around Belgrade opened for traffic after nine months

Stara Straževica tunnel, on the bypass around Belgrade, was opened for traffic today (February 1st, 2010) after it was closed for 9.5 months.

According to the announcement by Putevi Srbije, the completion of rehabilitation of the tunnel on the bypass that connects the Ibarska main route and Belgrade-Niš highway is important to receive the freight traffic redirected to the bypass because of the works on Gazela bridge.

- The works on reconstruction of Stara Straževica tunnel started on April 21, 2009, and they were supposed to be finished at the beginning of September, but reopening of the tunnel was late due to delays in the project audit - people from Putevi Srbije told Beta agency.

The reconstruction works included the works on reinforcement of the tunnel's structure, replacement of asphalt, installation of new lighting and additional equipment for greater traffic safety.

- Reconstruction of the tunnel is a part of the project for rehabilitation of the bypass, which is financed from the loan of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) - it is stated in the announcement.