Simic again pointed to poor road conditions in the north and the bridge near Leposavic in parliament

Serb List MP Slavko Simic today addressed a question to Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure Dimal Basha regarding the damaged bridge in the municipality of Leposavic and once again pointed to the poor condition of the Jarinje-Mitrovica main road and the Dren-Belo Brdo regional road.

“At the beginning of the year, due to the high water level of the Ibar River, damage occurred to the bridge connecting the villages of Beluce, Drenova, Borovo, Potkom and other hamlets with Lesak. This bridge connects all these villages and hamlets with the Jarinje-Mitrovica main road and with the local community and local institutions. Due to serious damage, the bridge was closed to traffic, both passenger and freight, for a long time, until a complete analysis was conducted to determine the extent of the damage and whether it was safe for use,” Simic explained.

He recalled that the Ministry of Infrastructure had engaged a private company to analyze the damage.

“For a long time there was no response from the Ministry regarding the condition of the bridge. At first they justified it by saying that parliamentary elections had been called, that there was no leadership and that they could not make any decisions. After some time, without cooperation with the local self-government in Leposavic, the Ministry, with police assistance, installed signaling on the bridge, without any explanation to the municipality or the citizens,” Simic said.

He asked whether the Ministry had received the damage assessment, whether the bridge was usable, and whether it had communicated with the Municipality of Leposavic in order to reconstruct the bridge or build a new one, so as to permanently resolve the problem faced by citizens.

Basha replied that the bridge is on a local road and is not under the Ministry’s jurisdiction, but that due to the damage and risk to citizens, a company had been engaged to carry out an analysis and prepare a report.

“We received the report and concluded that the bridge is too old. This means that heavier vehicles cannot pass over it. That is why we installed temporary signaling to redirect traffic until a new bridge is built,” Basha explained.

He added that the Ministry will contact the Municipality of Leposavic to determine whether the local authorities have a project ready and whether they have a company that would design the construction of a new bridge.

He pointed out that municipalities sometimes have design contracts with companies.

“If the municipality does not have a project or a company to handle it, we will assist. But this is not only the case in the north, but in all other municipalities as well. As for financing, we need to check with the municipality at the very beginning whether they have sufficient funds to implement the project,” Basha stressed.

Simic’s second question concerned the 52-kilometer Jarinje-Mitrovica main road.

“Minister, this road route is in a chaotic condition, as is the Dren-Belo Brdo road route on the territory of the municipality of Leposavic, which is a regional road. You are responsible for maintaining both road routes, and both are in poor condition and dangerous for drivers,” Simic warned.

He recalled that he had already pointed out the problem at one of the previous parliamentary sessions and had also submitted a written inquiry supported by 40 photographs showing hundreds of potholes, numerous damages, and many landslides that have not been cleared.

He added that the road is not properly marked, that is, it lacks regular traffic signage.

“The company you engaged over the past three years appears once a year with a small truck and a skip, without markings or warning signs for road works. All of us in the north are interested in which company you have engaged to maintain these two road routes, what the value of the contract is, for what period it was signed, and what their contractual obligations are. If their obligation is to receive five million euros and do nothing, then tell us that so citizens know. If their obligation is to maintain these two road routes every day, then they must work and create basic conditions for using these roads,” Simic underlined.

Basha replied that he does not know the name of the company responsible for maintaining these road routes, but that a request can be submitted to access the documents, as they are public.
He added that the company had carried out pothole repairs according to needs on the ground.

Basha said that new damage had occurred over the past winter, that it had been identified, and that road rehabilitation works had begun, including opening drainage channels, cleaning, and removing eroded material.

“I received photos from the company manager showing pothole repairs as proof of intervention. As for the Dren-Belo Brdo road, that road will also be rehabilitated,” Basha said.