Serbia, China sign contract for building bridge over Danube

Serbia and China on Thursday signed a contract for the construction of a bridge over the Danube river and connecting roads in Belgrade.

The contract to build the Zemun-Borca Bridge, which is to be named China Bridge, was signed by Serbian Minister for the National Investment Plan Verica Kalanovic, Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas and Lu Shan, vice-president of the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The project is set to begin in the second half of this year and to be completed at the end of 2013.

The Zemun-Borca Bridge would significantly ease the traffic strain in Belgrade, and would be a new chance for Serbia’s economic development, Mladjan Dinkic, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and regional development, said at the signing ceremony.

The Zemun-Borca Bridge is the biggest infrastructure project conducted under China-Serbia cooperation up to now, and also the first bridge that a Chinese company ever built in Europe, said Wei jinghua, the Chinese ambassador to Serbia.

“It’s a bridge of friendship between China and Serbia, and it is of great significance,” he said.

The cost of the whole project, including a 1.5 kilometer long bridge and 21 kilometer long connecting road, is estimated at 170 million euros (255.3 million U.S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua