Serbia's president visits construction site of Chinese-built motorway in E. Serbia

BELGRADE, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The section of the Chinese-built motorway between Pozarevac and Golubac is vital for the development of the whole of eastern Serbia, the country's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday.

"In two and a half years, we will have a high-speed road completed, and we will be able to get from Belgrade to Golubac in one hour and 20 minutes of easy driving," Vucic said.

Vucic visited the construction site accompanied by members of the government, the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, and representatives of Serbian subcontractors, according to a press release from the presidential office.

Vucic said that the construction was advancing without problems and that the motorway will bring added value to the whole of eastern Serbia by boosting employment and attracting people to live in that part of the country.

"We still have a lot of infrastructure to complete together. There is true historical heritage in this part of our country. It is also a matter of employment involving numerous people," he said.

Chinese Ambassador Chen noted that this high-speed road connects the most beautiful parts of southeast Europe and Serbia. Wishing success to the project, she said it brings about new opportunities for tourism and the economic growth of Serbia.

Chinese Shandong Hi-Speed, the main contractor of the project, started construction of the 68-km-long section in November 2021.

The project, worth 337 million euros (373.6 million U.S. dollars), includes two 3.5-meter lanes in each direction of the motorway, as well as 39 bridges. Once finished, the road will directly connect Serbia's A1 highway with eastern Serbia.