Vesna Jelicic

Full of need to enable people to travel and economy to prosper, our builders marked yet another victory by finishing the bridge in Mijatovac, over those destroyers who kept wounding our country, killing people, destroying houses, bombing bridges last spring. Formal opening of another bridge across the Velika Morava for traffic, which was damaged and destroyed during the aggression, marked the final stage of reconstruction of Serbian traffic infrastructure. The reconstruction supported by Serbian government and its Direction, during the last year as many as 42 road bridges were reconstructed and built - big and small bridges, the ones on the Danube, the Ibar, the Lim, the Morava, the Rasina, bridges made of concrete, steel and stone.

During the following period, longer stage of the reconstruction is to be performed - to build permanent bridges in Novi Sad instead the Varadin bridges, which was temporarily replaced with the bridge on the barges and the Zezelj bridge, instead of which the Danube is crossed by "Bosko Perosevic" bridge, and to repair huge damages of the "Most slobode" bridge in Novi Sad and the newest one - Veliki most in Ostruznica. Backopalanacki bridge is to be repaired and Vrapce reka bridge is to be rebuilt.

Out of 42 repaired road bridges, 14 is located on the main road through Serbia on European highway E - 75, which is the traffic spine of the Balkans and of this part of Europe. Across the once torn down bridge on Velika Morava in Mijatovac from Subotica, via Novi sad, Belgrade, Nis, Lekovac, Vranje, all the way to Macedonian border, people now travel just like before the war. Highway traffic is realized in both ways through separate lanes. On the main highway through Serbia following bridges were destroyed, bombed, torn down and lately rebuilt: bridge across the Danube near Beska, double bridges in highway Belgrade - Leskovac - across river Jasenica, across railway near Veliko Orasje, near Trupalske sume, across the Nisava south of Trupal, as well as bridges across the river Lugomir near village Laniste, in Grdelica gorge and near Vranjski Priboj.

The reconstruction of the traffic infrastructure started by rebuilding these bridges on June 14th last year, several days after the aggression was over, when Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic marked the beginning of the works on bridge across the Danube near Beska. The Danube was again crossed in 35 days and on 36th day Republic Prime Minister opened the rebuilt bridge for traffic.

In the meantime, before the permanent bridges from Belgrade to Nis and further to Leskovac were finished, the road builders solved the problem by building detours near Velika Plana and Mijatovac village, and the army helped by setting the pontoon bridge across the Morava. The regional road R-214 was also reconstructed thus solving the problem of Grdelica bridge being torn down.

Already in October bridges across the Juzna Morava were set - concrete bridge in Vranjski Priboj, and four days later i.e. 120 days after the war was over, FRY President Slobodan Milosevic marked traffic reopening of highway E-75 on October 11th. Until then, right concrete bridge on the Jasenica was repaired and right overpass on railway near Veliko Orasje, left bridge on Velika Morava near Mijatovac and bridges on the right road lane near Trupalsek sume and on the Nisava south of Trupal.

The reconstruction was continued during the first December days and already in October Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic opened for traffic new bridges on the Jasenica near Veliko Orasje and Trupalske sume. The repaired bridge- twin to the one mended in autumn on the Nisava called "Partizanov" by the donating football club, was finished by April and officially opened for traffic. In the meantime the left lane of the bridge in Laniste village across the Lugomir river was mended. The works started on January 28th and finished on March 8th. Builders Day, April 5th was marked by our builders by a great victory - by finishing the works on concrete bridge in Grdelica gorge - on the right lane of highway which will be built from Nis towards Macedonian border and will be give a new name "Most obnove".

By quick, rational and high quality building, each of our building companies gave their best in the reconstruction of the country. But, Belgrade "Mostogradnja" contributed the most. It independently built one third of these 42 bridges.