A brand-new bridge in only three months! Total cost of 1,5 million EUR

A brand-new bridge in only three months! Total cost of 1,5 million EUR

In addition to the bridge, it's also important to address the road, which is in terrible condition, noted Vučić.

"The problem is that something stands there for years, without maintenance, and then it needs to be renovated. Some say it is a small bridge, but the price of it was one and a half million euros. This is a matter of our attitude toward people; this is important to them. This entire bridge that you see was demolished, and an entirely new bridge was built in three months. The priority is to build the bridge in Kučevo, as it connects us with Majdanpek. There's also this road in Kostolac, which is in terrible condition. You should check that," he said.

He also noticed that there are increasingly more foreigners in the construction sector, especially Indians.

"We have more and more foreigners in the construction sector. We have more work and fewer workers. They mostly come to Serbia from India, Turkey, Bangladesh... It's not easy to do that. They worked day and night to get everything done," said Vučić.

He added that the state listened to the citizens, and the bridge was completed in three months.

"I learned a few things from that. First, we have companies that can quickly and safely build bridges. But I also learned that we can't isolate ourselves and sit in our offices; we must go to the people, hear what they say, and see what they want. Thank you for the lesson you've given us," said Vučić.

He mentioned that landslide repair remains, and he says a lot has been done in the previous years for this region.

"All we've done is not insignificant; it seems to me that many new and reconstructed roads have been built. Works are progressing according to plan from the beginning of the highway to Požarevac. They will continue along the Danube highway, and it will be important to reach Požarevac as quickly as possible. We'll see what else we can do to attract investors," he said.

"My biggest wish for Petrovac is to bring people back from abroad. Even there, life isn't all roses, and they still have a better life than we do here, but we're reducing the gap. If they returned, I'm convinced we can achieve many things together," Vučić said during his address and thanked everyone for their immense support.

Responding to a media question, he said that he "doesn't erect monuments to himself but to the people" and that he sees nothing wrong with being proud of everything that has been built during his mandate.

The bridge was closed for a period of time

The bridge, built over 50 years ago, was declared unsafe due to its very poor condition in June of last year, leading to its closure for both traffic and pedestrians.

The bridge remained closed and impassable for a year, as the municipality lacked the funds for demolition and the construction of a new bridge.

Upon the initiative of President Vučić and his meeting with the mayor of Petrovac na Mlavi, funding was secured, and construction of a new 190-meter-long bridge began in May of this year.

The construction of the bridge falls under the jurisdiction of the Public Enterprise "Roads of Serbia," which is also the project's investor, with a value of 155.5 million dinars. The construction is being carried out by PZP Požarevac.