The third tender this year, offering €12 million for the completion of the Rožaje by-pass, failed to attract any bidders, as confirmed by the Traffic Administration. The tender will be repeated later this week under the same terms.
Earlier, the administration explained that there were several interested construction companies, and the deadline for the tender had even been extended by 20 days to address additional inquiries. However, in the end, no official offers were submitted. After the contract with the Bosnian company Euroasfalt was terminated, the Traffic Administration was initially allocated €8.1 million for the completion of the project. The tender stipulated that the construction period should not be less than 350 days nor more than 450 days.
Previous tenders this year, also priced at €8.1 million, were unsuccessful, leading to a budget revision that increased the offer to €12 million. The contract with Euroasfalt was terminated in October of the previous year after the company failed to meet deadlines, leaving a significant portion of the project unfinished.
The Rožaje by-pass project has been plagued by delays and mismanagement. The first phase began in 2008, with plans to complete it within the same year. However, it was not finished on time, and the contractor, Konstruktor Engineering from Split, went bankrupt four years later. Subcontractors, such as Integral Engineering from Banja Luka and Bemaks from Podgorica, also withdrew from the project. In 2017, the Bosnian company Euroasfalt, together with its Montenegrin partners, took over the second phase of the project and the completion of the first phase. A loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) was allocated for the work, amounting to approximately €20 million.
Euroasfalt was given a 730-day period to complete the project, but the company failed to meet the deadline and was forced to extend the timeline twice due to issues like the collapse of the Veliki Ibarac bridge, tunnel collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, and unresolved property rights issues. By 2021, the project was still incomplete. Euroasfalt withdrew after collecting about €17.5 million, but new Montenegrin authorities imposed fines exceeding €1 million.
The Rožaje by-pass starts at the Zeleni area at the entrance to Rožaje from Serbia and ends near the Crnja Bridge, where it connects to the main road leading to Berane. The most challenging parts of the project involve two bridges and two tunnels, with photos from the field showing the remaining work in poor condition, requiring significant effort to complete.
Despite the increased tender amount of €12 million, no companies have shown interest in completing the project. The reason for this could be the substantial amount of work left undone by Euroasfalt, combined with rising construction costs. The future of the project remains uncertain as the tender is set to be repeated.
