Dubrovnik motorway tender cancelled after construction bids exceed budget

(Photo: Aktron / Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0)

Croatia’s motorway operator, Hrvatske autoceste (HAC), has cancelled the public procurement process for the construction of sections of the future motorway to Dubrovnik after all submitted bids exceeded the estimated project value and available funding.

In a statement, HAC said that every offer received was above the planned budget allocated for the investment period during which the procurement process was launched.

“As none of the bids were within the planned financial framework, the procedure had to be cancelled,” HAC said.

The company added that preparations are already underway for a new public procurement process.

HAC stressed that the construction of the motorway to Dubrovnik remains one of its priorities and said the cancellation of the tender would not affect plans for the overall project.

The cancelled tenders relate to two planned sections of the future motorway route towards Dubrovnik.

The first section, Rudine–Slano, covers approximately nine kilometres, while the second section, Slano–PUO Mravinjac, is planned to extend for around 11.5 kilometres, Dnevnik.hr said.

The tenders were originally published in January 2024, with bids opened in July the same year.

The construction of this motorway, considered the most expensive in Croatia, is set to be carried out in two phases. The first phase involves building the section from Osojnik to Dubrovnik, followed by the section from Metković to the Pelješac Bridge.

The most optimistic timeline predicts that the first section will conclude by 2029.