Presidenial candidate of the coalition Choice for a Better Life Boris Tadic said on Thursday the construction of the Belgrade ring road, was a contribution not only to Belgrade, but to Serbia, the region and Europe.

It is a point with some of the heaviest traffic along Corridor 10, said Tadic, who is the leader of the Democratic Party and a former president of Serbia. "This is like an artery in a body, and we have now connected that artery," he stated after visiting the section of the road between the Batajnica intersection and the tunnel in Strazevica.

Serbia has made a great effort to secure the necessary investments, following the modern vision of its transport development, Tadic pointed out.

According to Tadic, the funds were acquired through favourable loans, and it is justified by the fact the generations to come are going to use that road in the next 100 years. "This is not an investment into consumption, but new development," he noted.

When asked why the roads were mostly opened during election campaigns, he responded the moment should be used to accelerate construction, and that the work had been completed 7 months ahead of schedule because of that.

Most of the bridges and bridge constructions throughout Serbia will be completed in the next four years, including Corridor 11, which is being built by Serbia in cooperation with the Italian, Montenegrin and Romanian governments, connected by Serbia on this project, he stated.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic toured the final works on the Belgrade City Road Bypass, from Batajnica interchange to the Strazevica tunnel, saying that it will greatly relieve traffic congestion in the capital.

Dacic, who is the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), said he was proud that the section of the bypass, the project that had been set in motion 20 years ago, had been completed during the term of the government where he served as the deputy prime minister.

He said that it was in great part a result of the good work of the Infrastructure Ministry, headed by Milutin Mrkonjic, also from the ranks of the SPS. “Now everyone can see that Mrkonjic does not build bridges out of styrofoam and that all those who criticized him realized that they had been wrong, as this is something that will remain for us all,” said Dacic.

The deputy prime minister believes that the citizens will not be satisfied only by the construction of new roads in the future, as they primarily need higher salaries. “I am tired of the IMF conditionality, the future government needs to increase salaries, to change the tax policy, to allocate resources more equitably, to open the door for new investment,” said Dacic.

Also touring the works on the bypass section were Boris Tadic, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic, General Director of the Public Utility 'Putevi Srbije' Zoran Drobnjak, and Chairman of the Belgrade City Assembly Aleksandar Antic.

Director General of public road company Putevi Srbije Zoran Drobnjak stressed that the new 15.5 kilometres of the ring road around Belgrade on Corridor 10 will be open for traffic tonight.

Drobnjak stated that the 10 kilometre section from Batajnica intersection to Dobanovci will be opened tonight, adding that the section has two lanes and an emergency lane in each direction.

A 5.5 kilometre section from Orlovaca intersection to the ring road will also be opened, including Strazevica tunnel, he specified.

While visiting the construction site, Drobnjak said that €300 million has been invested in the construction of 40 kilometres of the ring road to date and that another €250 million is needed.

Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Milutin Mrkonjic also visited the ring road construction site.