Construction of the expressway Ruma – Šabac – Loznica
Thu, 07-31-2025 - 11:17
Project carrier:
Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure
Project title:
Construction of the expressway Ruma – Šabac – Loznica
Contracting Authority:
Government of the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia (Financier) “Roads of Serbia” (Investor)
Main contractor:
AZVIRT
Investor:
PE "Roads of Serbia"
Contractor:
AzVirt company from the Republic of Azerbaijan and AzVirt Belgrade Branch
Supervision:
Central Road Laboratory, CPL
Designer:
“Institute for Roads” on behalf of the group of bidders (“IAUS” and “Mašinoprojekt”)
Strategic and legal basis:
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Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed on January 25, 2012, in Baku, duly ratified by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia through the enactment of the Law on the Confirmation of the Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation in the Field of Infrastructure between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia – International Treaties, No. 1/2012).
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Commercial contract for the design and construction works on the Ruma – Šabac – Loznica project was signed on November 19, 2019, under reference number 401-00-1057/2019-01, along with the corresponding annexes.
Direct contracting based on the intergovernmental agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the People’s Republic of Azerbaijan.
The significance of the project:
The section from Ruma to Šabac, including the bridge over the Sava River, has given Mačva and Srem a new perspective, while the expressway from Šabac to Loznica will provide the region with improved connectivity to Western Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This significant infrastructure project brings Mačva, Loznica, and Podrinje closer to Novi Sad and Belgrade, where the newly constructed highway allows travel from Šabac to Belgrade in 40 minutes. The Ruma interchange connects the Ruma – Šabac highway with the future Fruška Gora corridor, as well as with the existing E-70 Belgrade – Šid highway. With the construction of the Fruška Gora corridor, which will connect to this project, the travel time from Ruma to Novi Sad will be reduced to 20 minutes.
Status of the project:
The project encompasses:
Construction of the Ruma – Šabac – Loznica road (completed works, section opened to traffic);
Construction of the expressway Slepčević – Badovinci border crossing (Pavlović Bridge) – works in progress and
Preparation of project documentation – preliminary feasibility study with a general plan, Special Purpose Spatial Plan (PPPPN), and conceptual design with a feasibility study for the Loznica – Mali Zvornik border crossing expressway, including the Karakaj Bridge.
Construction of the Ruma – Šabac – Loznica road, with a total length of: 78.5 km
Section 1: Ruma-Šabac highway – 22.08 km + 0.44 km deviation to IB category state road no. 21;
(opened to traffic on October 14, 2023);
Section 2: bridge over the Sava River (with access structures) – 1,327 km;(opened to traffic on October 14, 2023); and
Section 3: Šabac - Loznica high-speed road - 54.58 km; (opened to traffic on December, 2024);
Remedial works are being carried out on the Šabac – Loznica section during the warranty period, as per the instructions of the Supervisory Authority and in accordance with the Snag list (list of defects).
Construction of the Slepčević – Badovinci border crossing expressway, with a total length of 15.31 km.
Annex 7 of the Commercial Contract, dated November 10, 2023, defines the subsequent (additional) services related to the construction of the Slepčević – Badovinci border crossing section.
Works are currently being carried out across all sections in accordance with the approved project schedule.
Construction of the Loznica – Mali Zvornik border crossing expressway, including the Karakaj Bridge, with a total length of: 21 km
Annex 9 of the Commercial Contract, dated January 31, 2025, defines additional services for the preparation of planning and technical documentation for the construction of the expressway Section 4 Loznica – Mali Zvornik Border Crossing/Karakaj.
The deadline for completing the planning and technical documentation services is 21 months from the service start date for Section 4, in accordance with Article 42 of the Commercial Contract.
Investment value:
EUR 600 million.
Start of the project:
June 19, 2020
Completion of the project:
On October 14, 2023, section 1 (Ruma-Šabac highway) and section 2 (bridge over the Sava River) totaling 24.6 km in length were open to traffic. On December 29, 2024, the Šabac – Loznica expressway was opened to traffic.
Works on the Slepčević – Badovinci border crossing section are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
Source of finance:
The project is financed with funds from the Budget of the Republic of Serbia and from a loan from domestic commercial banks.
Project description:
The section includes a total of 56 structures, comprising 54 bridges and 2 interchanges.
The construction of the Ruma-Šabac highway and the Šabac-Loznica expressway is one of the priority transportation projects. This project is important for the development and connectivity of Srem, Mačva, and western Serbia and Vojvodina, as well as for linking this part of Serbia with the region, especially with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The construction of the Slepčević – Badovinci expressway represents a significant infrastructure project for Serbia. This section connects the existing Šabac – Loznica expressway with the Pavlovića Bridge border crossing towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. This project will significantly reduce travel time between Belgrade and Bijeljina, further enhancing the connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Improved transport infrastructure will attract investors to the Mačva District and stimulate the development of local communities.
Construction of the high-speed road Loznica - Mali Zvornik (border crossing "Karakaj") including the construction of an additional bridge over the Drina River in addition to the existing bridge. It is envisaged to be constructed in full profile as an extension of the high-speed road from Šabac to Loznica. The profile is designed with two traffic lanes with a total profile width of 22 meters. The corridor of the planned road includes a railway line (Ruma - Šabac - Loznica - Mali Zvornik), which runs partly parallel to the road and collides with it in several places. The high-speed road section runs through western Serbia, Mačva administrative district, on the border with B&H. It passes through the territory of the municipalities of Loznica and Mali Zvornik.
At the beginning of the route is the industrial zone of the city of Loznica as one of the generators of heavy traffic in the observed location. The construction of the new bridge is of vast importance for the citizens of the municipalities of Mali Zvornik and Zvornik in Republika Srpska, and primarily for the entire economy and investors, which would significantly solve the problem of slow traffic flow at the border crossing.