Home » News » The Peljesac Bridge Opens In Croatia
Connecting Croatia
This week Croatia opened the magnificent Peljesac Bridge, which bypasses Bosnia and eases access from Dubrovnik in Southern Dalmatia to Croatia’s northern regions such as Central Dalmatia and Istria not to mention the capital Zagreb.
Funded by the EU and Chinese business, I was both delighted yet also a little sad to see the opening of the Pelješac Bridge which crosses from the Mali Ston Bay between Komarna on the mainland to Brijesta on the Pelješac peninsula.
No More Delays at Neum
When I used to take groups of travel agents to Croatia back in the late 1990’s there was always an element of fun and a buzz to say that we needed to cross through a small stretch of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I guess for many it was another country ticked off their travel list with this stop at the coastal town of Neum to pick up cheap goods always a little exciting. Whilst I guess you can still do that most and in particular tourists will now take this shortcut. The bridge was heralded by locals as they have spent decades waiting at Bosnian borders to travel from one part of their country to another.
Built for €526 million, the bridge is 2.4 km and the longest in Croatia and avoids the need for travellers to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now they can travel along the length of the Adriatic linking Dubrovnik with the rest of Croatia without crossing a non-EU border.
A New Way To Discover The Adriatic Highway
I look forward to one day taking this crossing which looks awesome – having said that the whole stretch of the Adriatic highway from Split to Dubrovnik passing alongside resorts such as Trogir, Makarska, Baska Voda and Tucepi is one of the world’s great coastal highways – this will just add to the experience!
The opening of the Peljesac Bridge is a very special day for Croatia and for a country I love.
Image courtesy of Visit Orebic
