On the first day of operation of the Smokovac–Mateševo highway, a section of the Bar–Boljare motorway, 18,000 vehicles used it on July 14, according to the Montenegrin management companyMonteput.
The section of the motorway, whose construction began in 2015 with a two-year delay, was officially opened on the evening of July 13, on Montenegro’s Statehood Day.
The section is 41.5 km long: it includes 20 bridges on the main route, nine bridges on interchange ramps, two overpasses, eight underpasses, 7.2 km of concrete retaining walls, and 16 twin-tube tunnels.
Until July 21, travel on the road is free of charge. From July 21, the toll will be 1.5 euros for motorcycles, 3.5 euros for passenger cars, and 17 euros for buses and trucks.
The Government of Montenegro took out a loan from the Chinese Exim Bank to build this section. This move increased the country’s public debt by almost one billion euros.