The 2.4 km (1.5 mi) structure connects the mainland with the Peljesac peninsula in the south, allowing easier access to the city of Dubrovnik, the country’s biggest tourist attraction. The two stretches of Croatia’s Adriatic coastline were separated by a narrow strip of Bosnia when the Yugoslav Federation broke up in the early 1990s. Until then it had no internal borders between its six republics, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. But the division has led residents and tourists to bypass border controls, slowing traffic and leaving people in southern Croatia cut off from the rest of the country – including Dubrovnik, which is on the Unesco heritage list. Now the bridge will bypass the small part of Bosnian territory. Hundreds of people rushed to be among the first to cross the footbridge after it was officially opened, first to pedestrians and then to motorists. The opening was described as a “historic day that generations have been waiting for” on state broadcaster HRT. Image: A map showing the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said: “This is a big day for Croatia. Let’s enjoy it today!” The cable-stayed bridge, which has six piers, became a reality in 2017 when the EU allocated €357 million (£300 million) to the project, which cost a total of €526 million (£444 million). It was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation which won an international tender in 2018, despite concerns over Beijing’s efforts to boost its economic influence through infrastructure investment. However, the bridge has drawn criticism from Bosnian officials over apparent unresolved border issues and concerns that it could block access to their stretch of coastline. Image: The Peljeac Bridge pictured under construction last June Pic: AP Tourism is critical to Croatia’s economy, which remains one of the weakest in the EU. The country is poised to clear the final hurdles to adopting the euro, paving the way to become the 20th member of the eurozone from January next year. If successful, it will mean that any of the 340 million eurozone residents visiting Croatia will no longer need to exchange their cash for Croatian kuna.
