New Belgrade underpass project faces further delays, critics demand accountability

Construction on a crucial underpass in New Belgrade, intended to link Bulevar Crvene Armije and Bulevar Umetnosti, has again fallen behind schedule. The Center for Local Self-Government (CLS) announced that the project, which commenced in May 2024, will not be finished within the current calendar year, marking a significant delay beyond the initial November 2025 completion target.

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The Directorate must charge penalties from contractors for every day of delay, in the amount of 0.2 percent of the total value of the job.

This latest setback means the underpass will be more than a year late. The CLS, after a site inspection, noted that work has slowed considerably, leading to the missed deadline. The project aims to improve connectivity between the Sava and Danube parts of New Belgrade and alleviate traffic on Omladinskih brigada street.

The CLS has placed blame on both the Directorate for Construction Land and Development of Belgrade, as the investor, and the contractors, identified as CIP, Novkol, Ras Inženjering, and Starting. Nikola Jovanović, director of CLS, stated that the Directorate must enforce penalties for delays. He emphasized the need for a blacklist of contractors who repeatedly miss deadlines or perform substandard work.

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There must also be a blacklist of contractors in Belgrade who have violated deadlines, worked below standard, or overpaid their services through annexes.

Jovanović suggested that the repeated failures indicate a potential collusion between city authorities and certain contractors, resulting in no penalties or blacklisting, while Belgrade residents bear the cost through wasted time and money. The situation highlights ongoing issues with infrastructure project management in the city.

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Here, there is obviously a connection between the city authorities and certain contractors - there are no penalties, no blacklist, and all this is paid for by the citizens of Belgrade with their time and money.