Construction of the Iverak – Lajkovac Expressway
Thu, 07-31-2025 - 11:21
Project carrier:
Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure
Project title:
Construction of the Iverak – Lajkovac Expressway
Contracting Authority:
Government of the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia (Financier) “Corridors of Serbia” (Investor)
Main contractor:
China Shandong International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group
Investor:
PE "Roads of Serbia"
Designer:
China Shandong International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group
Strategic and legal basis:
- General Master Plan for Transport in the Republic of Serbia 2009–2027- Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Infrastructure between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the People's Republic of China.- Conclusion of the Government of the Republic of Serbia dated May 21, 2020, by which the Project for the construction of the state road of category IB No. 27 Loznica–Valjevo–Lazarevac, section: Iverak–Lajkovac (connection to the E763 motorway, Belgrade–Southern Adriatic, section: Belgrade–Preljina), is recognized as a project of special importance for the Republic of Serbia.- Commercial Contract for the design and execution of works on the construction of the Iverak – Lajkovac section, concluded between the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Public Enterprise "Roads of Serbia," and the Chinese company China Shandong International, dated June 10, 2020.- Direct contracting based on the intergovernmental agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
The significance of the project:
The road in question (18.2 km in length) serves as a transversal connection within the road network of the Republic of Serbia, linking parts of the Republic of Srpska, i.e., Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the E-763 route (Belgrade – Southern Adriatic, "Miloš the Great" Motorway) and Corridor X, i.e., the Belgrade – Niš motorway route. Specifically, it serves as a connection between the City of Valjevo and the "Miloš the Great" Highway.
Status of the project:
The section from the Lajkovac interchange to the toll gate, 500 meters in length, was opened to traffic on May 5, 2023. The section from the Lajkovac interchange to the Divci interchange, 11.9 km in length, was opened to traffic on December 23, 2023, while on February 2, 2025, the section from the Divci interchange to Iverak, completing the full 18.2 km, was opened to traffic, thereby completing the Iverak – Lajkovac expressway. The total physical progress amounts to 98.80%. Through an annex to the Commercial Contract, the project was extended to include the construction of the first phase of the southern bypass around Valjevo, measuring 2.4 km, where preparatory works are currently in progress from station km 0+300 to km 2+300 (including surveying and clearing of shrubs and trees).
Investment value:
278 million euros
Project description:
The expressway, totaling 18.2 km in length, includes the planned construction of 26 structures: 19 bridges, 1 overpass, and 6 slab culverts. Additionally, it features 2.5 km of bridges, one interchange, two connections, and a parking area on both sides. The designated design speed will be 100 km/h. The majority of the route, approximately 52%, is situated within the floodplain zone of the Kolubara River, with the total width of the characteristic cross-section measuring 23 meters. Comprehensive noise protection measures are fully implemented for all residential and commercial structures on both sides along the corridor. At station 2+735 of the Iverak–Lajkovac expressway, a connection to the Southern Bypass around Valjevo is established; this first phase, approximately 2.4 km in length, providing linkage to the industrial zone of Valjevo, was incorporated into the project by an annex to the Commercial Contract. Key infrastructural elements planned in the first phase of the Southern Bypass construction include two roundabouts at station km 0+000 facilitating access to the Valjevo industrial zone, a roundabout at km 2+735 connecting to state road IB No. 27, one slab culvert (small bridge within the road embankment) at station km 0+850.53, and a bridge over the Krivošija River and a local road at station km 1+905.247.