A long-envisioned project to build a highway linking Sarajevo and Belgrade has seen little progress on the Bosnian side, officials said, despite political backing and regional agreements signed nearly a decade ago.
While Serbia has already begun work on key sections of the route, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has yet to finalize even the basic route alignment, underscoring persistent political disagreements within the country’s multi-ethnic institutions.
“We want the highway to run from Belgrade to Sarajevo via Višegrad, but we can’t agree with partners in Sarajevo,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said recently. “They argue the feasibility study shows it’s not economically viable. I believe that’s a mistake – some infrastructure needs to be built even without immediate returns.”
Bosnia’s Minister of Communications and Transport, Edin Forto, responded by saying the highway must pass through the industrial regions of Tuzla and Brčko District, calling it a matter of rational development, not politics.
“Continued isolation of Tuzla and Brčko is not an option,” Forto said, adding that the project could still link to Višegrad if based on mutual respect.
The highway idea dates back decades but gained renewed momentum in 2016, when Turkey, Serbia, and BiH signed a memorandum of understanding. Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has since repeatedly pushed for the project’s implementation.
A formal cooperation agreement between Serbia and BiH followed in 2019, including a joint task force to oversee implementation. However, while Serbia has moved ahead with construction on sections including the Kuzmin–Rača corridor and a new expressway from Loznica to Pavlovića bridge, Bosnia remains bogged down in internal debates.
“There are only general route concepts on the Bosnian side,” said Nedeljko Ćorić, director of Republika Srpska Highways (JP Autoputevi RS). “Nothing has advanced to the level of design planning, let alone construction.”
Ćorić said Bosnia’s focus remains on other domestic corridors such as Corridor 5c and its branches to Bihać and Goražde. Meanwhile, Serbia is progressing on documentation for a new section from Požega to Kotroman, near the Bosnian border.
Ćorić added that Montenegro’s spatial plan envisions a connecting road between the Bar–Boljare highway and the planned Sarajevo–Belgrade route via Pljevlja and Ustiprača, potentially enhancing regional integration if the project advances.