Kotor – Presidents of Government and Parliament Zeljko Sturanovic and Ranko Krivokapic yesterday with cutting of the ribbon have formally opened the reconstructed tunnel Vrmac.
Detailed reconstruction of the tunnel which is 1.637 meters long, and which is the shortest connection between Tivat and Boka Kotorska bay, began on 11th of June 2005, and the costs were about 12 millions of euros, almost 1/3 more that the initially agreed price. The contractor was the Austrian firm “Starbag”, and the producer was Niksic “Boksiti”.
Mayor of Kotor, Marija Catovic, reminded that tunnel Vrmac is in use since 1992, but that it has never been finished, that is, that it has never been made by standards for this kind of object. The occasion for perforation of the tunnel through the massif of Vrmac was the need to provide the passing through of the sewerage system Kotor – Traste, and to solve the problem of the wastewaters from the aquatorium of one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Already then it was clear that a fast reconstruction s necessary because the safety of the traffic was jeopardized because of the unfinished business and unsuitable construction solutions. Because of that the tunnel was several times partly repaired, but all of that was not enough to provide the permanent safety of traffic and to solve the problem of the huge amount of water which is made in the tunnel, and whose caption could improve the water supply of Kotor, especially during the summer months, said Catovic.
She reminded that it was about time for the detailed reconstruction, which was confirmed by the abruption of the great amount of rocks and land in the length of 150 meters during the works. Already then appeared the problem of the amount of money which was given out for the reconstruction, but the investor and the contractor have made a deal to invest additional efforts and to build for once the tunnel as it should be built. Because of that landslip the reconstruction was late 8 months.
Except the traffic one, the hydro technical tunnel was also built, which, as the mayor of Kotor said, will already now provide 60 liters of water in a second. That amount of water will be significantly bigger when the entire caption is done and when the waters of Vrmac are entirely implemented in the water work system of Kotor.
Prime minister Sturanovic said that the repair of the tunnel Vrmac represents one of the most demanding undergoes which were done on the road infrastructure in last 10 years in Montenegro. Sturanovic said that at the beginning of the last four years term of office of Government began the process of reconstruction of the existing traffic infrastructure.
– From the year 2002 until today about 40 projects of reconstruction of the road infrastructure in Montenegro have been successfully carried out. This is the biggest and so far the most dynamic period of investing in the area of road infrastructure. We are intensively working on the preparation of the documentation for the beginning of works of construction of the highway. About the complexity of the investments in traffic the best evidence is this object – said Sturnaovic.
He pointed out that the biggest challenge of this project was the parallel construction of the traffic tunnel and the hydro technical tunnel with the reservoir war water of capacity of 5.000 m3 in order, for the extra water that is created in the rain periods to be redirected towards Kotor.
– With this project the traffic tunnel is not just protected in long- terms speaking from the underground waters of the massif Vrmac, but they are also directed towards the reservoir which can take significantly larger amounts than the ones which are expected to appear as extra, which will represent the additional source of water supply of Kotor in the dry period – said Sturnaovic.
I.K.
PZP: NO ONE IS MENTIONING WHY THE PRICE IS BIGGER
PZP has greeted yesterday the termination of the reconstruction of tunnel Vrmac, but has said that the citizens of Kotor and Montenegro, who are paying the reconstruction of the tunnel should be pointed out the fact that the Ministry of traffic has nullified the first tender for its reconstruction and announced its repair, because the only bidder which fulfilled all the conditions had offered a too big price.
– The commission, after the two months of work on the opening and evaluating of the offers, said that only Starbag from Austria fulfills all the conditions of the tender. Without that announced repeated tender they have signed the contract with Starbag which is 8, 28 millions worth – said the legate of that party Emin Durkaovic.
He added that the term for termination of the works has been extended for 10 months. “New information for the citizens is that the value of the works is 12, 4 millions of euros, on which you should add interests on the credit of the European investment bank which no one mentions” said Durakovic.
He asked if with that amount they have come to the initially offered “too big” price.
– The explanation that this big extending, that is additional million expenses of the reconstruction have been caused with the landslip has no grounds, because such cases are usually regulated in advance with contracted documents through the insurance from the possible unpredicted circumstances – explained Durakovic.
