Beginning of construction of tunnel between Sava and Danube slopes in Belgrade planned for late 2020 – Investment worth 90 to 100 million euros

The Detailed Regulation Plan of the tunnel from the Sava slope to the Danube slope, which should be adopted on May 16, 2019, at a session of the City Assembly of Belgrade, is the basis for construction of the tunnel which will connect the two slopes, Belgrade City Architect Marko Stojcic told eKapija.

He said that this infrastructure project was worth 90 to 100 million euros and that the construction was expected to begin in late 2020.

Stocic emphasizes that the tunnel would help reduce the density of traffic in the city center by 14%, increase the traveling speed by 10% and reduce the average travel time by 10%.

He adds that the research conducted by the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering shows that the emission of carbon-monoxide in the city center will drop by 9% thanks to the realization of this project.

– We can all see that there are great problems with the traffic in Belgrade. According to the data from the Transport Model of Belgrade 2015, and the data collected from the counting of vehicles, the most overloaded routes are those that connect the Sava and the Danube slopes: Kneza Milosa St-Takovska St and Brankova St-Terazije Tunnel-Decanska St-Despota Stefana Blvd – the city architect says.

Stojcic adds that most drivers use these routes as transit routes and says that the planned tunnel “is in fact the only true way of addressing the problem of traffic jams on these overloaded routes in the central zone”.

He reminds that the Urban Planning Institute prepared the Sava Amphitheater Study back in 2008, when it was concluded that a new traffic connection of increased capacity was needed in that part of the city.

– In line with the General Regulation Plan, this tunnel route is regulated by a special planning document. This plan entails two tunnel tubes of a total of around 2 km, with portals in Gavrila Principa Street, in the zone of the Faculty of Economics, and Despota Stefana Blvd, in the direction of the Pancevo Bridge, in the zone of the Police Administration. Two lanes around each portal, bypassing it on both sides, are planned – Stojcic emphasizes.

He says that the construction of a protective band above the entrance portal in Gavrila Principa Street, which stretches to Kraljice Natalije Street and the Terazije Fountain and is meant to protect the majority of the existing structures, is a special challenge.

– This will lead to the removal of several small facilities in the zone of the entrance portal, which will certainly be replaced – Stojcic says for our portal.

As the then city manager, now deputy mayor, Goran Vesic, announced in 2017, the construction of the tunnel was supposed to begin in 2019.

B. Petrovic

Grad Beograd

Urbanistički zavod Beograda

Saobraćajni fakultet Beograd

City Assembly of Belgrade

Marko Stojčić

tunnel from Sava slope to Danube slope

Sava Amphitheater Study

Detailed Regulation Plan of tunnel from Sava slope to Danube slope

Transport Model of Belgrade

connecting Sava and Danube slopes