Bosnia celebrates 20km of new motorway as half of Corridor Vc built in 25 years

The section running north of Zenica towards Zepce cost more than €400 million. The completed motorway now totals about 115km along the main route from the south near Bradina, via Sarajevo, while several disconnected sections bring the total to just over 150km of the planned 330km pan-European corridor linking Budapest and the Croatian Adriatic port of Ploce.

EU Delegation head Luigi Soreca said the EU had provided hundreds of millions of euros in support since 2015 through the Western Balkans Investment Framework. So far, this has included €870 million in grants for construction, with €61 million in direct EU funding for the newly completed section. He stressed the need to address outstanding challenges transparently and ensure effective oversight of construction and spending.

Construction began in 2001

The project has been plagued by scandals, slow progress, repeated design changes, delays and cost overruns. Completion of the entire 330km route remains uncertain, while the tunnel through Mount Prenj on the Sarajevo-Mostar section alone will take at least six years to build, with work yet to begin.

Former Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Motorways director Elmedin Voloder and several associates have been indicted over alleged abuse of office and corruption related to land purchases along the planned route. The current management, headed by HDZ member Denis Lasic, is also under scrutiny by European investigators, prompting the suspension of previously approved loans from European banks.

Lasic said the new management had inherited a difficult situation and was working to make up for delays and speed up construction.

Corridor Vc links Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina along the Budapest-Osijek-Sarajevo-Ploce route. The motorway section in Croatia was completed in October 2025, while construction in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains unfinished.