A consortium led by CIP-DB, with an offer valued at €2.86 million, has been selected as the most favorable bidder for the conceptual design of a section of the Bar-Boljare highway, from Virpazar to Stari Bar. The tender was issued by Monteput.
The company explained that the 26-kilometer section is expected to help reduce summer traffic congestion and provide access to industrial zones, according to local news sources.
The winning consortium consists of the Belgrade-based Traffic Institute CIP, DB Engineering, and subcontractors including the Podgorica-based firm Sigurnost, Geom max group, Geoprojekt and Tivat’s Lavian Engineering.
Monteput officials stated that the deadline for the conceptual design is one year from the contract signing.
“Monteput made its decision in early April, and according to the tender documentation, there is an option for appeal until mid-April,” the company explained.
The tender process ran from December 23 to February 5, with an estimated value of €3.03 million.
Consortia including the Institute for Civil Engineering and the Construction Institute of Macedonia were excluded from the tender for failing to meet all required conditions.
The highway section is planned to accommodate speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, with four lanes, each 3.5 meters wide, as well as emergency lanes. The design must align with the Smokovac-Mateševo section to avoid complications from differing and incompatible construction systems.
“With the completion of the stretch from Virpazar to the southern portal of the Sozina tunnel and its extension to Stari Bar, traffic congestion, particularly during summer months, will be significantly reduced. Although the section is relatively short, the addition of a second tunnel bore at Sozina will improve the connection between northern and southern Montenegro,” said Monteput in a statement.
The project also includes the conceptual design for the intersection of the Bar-Boljare highway with the Adriatic-Ionian Highway and the fast road, along with the conceptual design for the Sozina-Stari Bar fast road. The planned highway section will include interchanges at Virpazar (connecting to the M-2 main road), Sozina (connecting to the M-1.1 main road), an interchange near Bar for city and port access, and an interchange near Stari Bar.
