One of the most ambitious road projects in Montenegro —the bypass road around Budvaon the sectionMarkovići – Lastva Grbaljska— is expected to be completed within four years after construction begins. As the director of the state companyMonteputMilan Ljaljić said, the project is exceptionally complex:more than 70% of the route will run through tunnels and bridges.
According to him, the importance of this project for the south of the country is no less than that of the key highwaythe Bar–Boljare motorway.
The first phase of the coastal expressway
The sectionMarkovići – Lastva Grbaljska, about 8 kilometers long, will becomethe first stage in the construction of an expressway along the Montenegrin coast— the futureAdriatic-Ionian Corridor, which will connect Montenegro with Croatia near Igalo.
According to Monteput’s technical documentation, the project includes:
- construction offour bridgeswith a total length of1.4 km,
- andtwo twin-bore tunnels, with a total length of more than4.3 km.
Thus,two-thirds of the entire routewill pass through engineering structures — making this projectthe most technically complex road infrastructure projecton the Montenegrin coast.
Read also:Budva Riviera and Montenegro’s new resorts: a guide to luxury cities and marinas
Investments of nearly 200 million euros
The total cost of the works is estimated at196.27 million euros excluding VAT. The project is being implemented under the“design and build”model, which will speed up the process and minimize bureaucratic stages.
The tender for selecting the contractor was published on October 14, 2025, and the completion period is 48 months. If the procurement procedure proceeds without delays,Budva could get a new bypass road by the end of 2029.
The price includes the development of the main design, construction works, and technical supervision. An additional about20 million eurosis allocated forland expropriation.
A video projection of the future Adriatic-Ionian highway, including the Budva bypass, has been published:
https://youtu.be/cQPHtR7eFnw?si=ourvdvV9tC5PmA_uA new road — a solution for the congested coast
At Monteput, they are confident that the new route will significantly relieve the existing coastal highway, which remains the most congested part of the country’s road network during the summer season.
Thanks to the bypass road:
- traffic will becomefaster and safer,
- air pollution in the center of Budva will be reduced, tourists’ access
- to the resorts of Boka and the central coast will improve. The new infrastructure will create conditions for
and strengthen economic ties between the north and south of the country.
A key element of the Adriatic-Ionian CorridorThe bypass road is not just a local project, but a key link in an international transport network that will connect the Bay of Kotor, Budva, Bar, and Ulcinj.
The implementation of this project will make Montenegro an integral part of the Adriatic-Ionian Corridor and one of the strategic transport hubs of Southeast Europe.
As Milan Ljaljić noted, Monteput considers the construction of the bypass a priority:
Как отметил Милан Лилянич, Monteput рассматривает строительство объездной как приоритет: