The new bridge over the Danube near the village of Beska in Vojvodina, on the northern branch of Corridor 10, opened for traffic on Oct. 3.

President Boris Tadic, Infrastructure Minister Milutin Mrkonjic and Environment Minister Oliver Dulic attended the opening of Beska Bridge.

The Beska Bridge, which is on the highway between Belgrade and Horgos, near Novi Sad, is 2.2 kilometers long, 15 meters wide and 55 meters above the water.

The work was carried out by the Austrian company Alpine, and construction began in 2008, with around three kilometers of access roads built at the same time.

The contractual value of the construction of the bridge on European route E-75 was EUR33.7 million and was financed by a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development loan.

Tadic visits Beska bridge
Serbian President Boris Tadic on Monday visited the new bridge near Beska, where he shared his satisfaction with the completion of the project with the workers and engineers who built the bridge across the Danube, on Corridor X.

"I live for things like this," Tadic said. "I am very satisfied with what we have done here," said the Serbian president, adding he sees no point in being in politics if one does not leave a legacy of bridges, roads and other infrastructure projects.

"We also finished the bridge at Ada Ciganlija, we are working on all sections of the roads to Macedonia, to Krusevac, and many other major jobs," Tadic said.

He noted many people would now ask "what have you been waiting for."

"But, all those who criticize must keep in mind we cannot compete with our neighbors. I have talked with the builders, they told me about the difficulties, but I believe the bridge will last 125 years, which is how long the builders say its due date is," Tadic said.

"It is a great thing when you build something that will be in use for three generations," said the Serbian president. "I like when we walk on something that inspires a sense of safety, I believe that people will no longer get hurt here. We are rebuilding the trust in our engineers and builders, we are also grateful to the Austrian company Alpina. For all the people in Serbia, we have a truly good solution," Tadic said.

According to him, once the infrastructure is completed this bridge will also serve to better connect Serbia with Europe. He noted that Serbia has had "some political problems with the EU in recent days, but it also has some principles it will not renounce."

"The more important thing, however, is what this bridge provides for our citizens, which is better living conditions," said the Serbian president. When it comes to other major infrastructure projects, "we are not working fast enough," Tadic said, "but we will get faster."

Not hiding his amazement, he said school children should also be brought to visit the bridge and that everyone should witness its "marvelous colonnades."

"This is a really complex construction project," added the Serbian president, asking the gathered people to walk with him across the bridge, and bending down to touch the asphalt.

Tadic: Bridge has nothing to do with elections

Serbian President Boris Tadic said Monday that that the opening of the bridge near the Beska village in Vojvodina for traffic on the same day had nothing to do with the elections and the pre-election campaign.

"An atmosphere that everything has something to do with elections seems to be prevalent in this country, but I am telling you that it is not so at all. I have not got the time to heed such comments and approaches to life, as a lot more work remains to be done," Tadic said.

Tadic said this in response to a joke by Minister Milutin Mrkonjic, with whom the president visited the bridge on the Danube river near Beska. The situation arose when a journalist asked when the reconstruction works on the old bridge near Beska would be completed, upon which Mrkonjic jokingly remarked: "After the elections."

Tadic used the opportunity to point out that a "plenty of unimaginable things are taking place in Serbia today that need to be addressed in speech and writing for the good of the citizens and their self-confidence." It has nothing to do with the campaign and the elections, said Tadic.

The Beska bridge, on the northern leg of Corridor X, is the first environmentally friendly bridge of its kind in Serbia. It is 2,205 meters long, with an 11-meter roadway, two pedestrian and service lanes, as well as 3.5 kilometers of access roads. The main span is 540 meters and rests on six columns, three of which are in the river.

It represents the cutting edge in bridge building and was made from top quality materials. It was built by the Alpina company, with workers from Serbia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Norway, Sweden, England and the Netherlands, and engineers from Germany, Austria and Serbia involved in the construction.

Works started in 2008. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) financed the construction with EUR 33.7 million, but the final price tag will not be known for another few months.

The new bridge has been nicknamed "the twin," because it was built less than five meters from the old bridge, which will remain in use. A new 14.8 meter-wide bridge across the Arkanj canal was also built as part of the access roads. The Serbian president visited the Beska bridge in the company of Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Milutin Mrkonic and Minister of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic.