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By:
Sanie Yusufi
- August 25, 2025 19:23
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On Monday, one of the bridges built over the Ibar River that connects the two municipalities, North and South Mitrovica, was asphalted. Its construction was completed in a record time of 54 days. While the asphalting of the bridge was being carried out, the Special Unit of the Kosovo Police was also present. And the citizens welcomed its construction.
Just 54 days after the inauguration of the works, one of the two planned bridges over the Ibar River and the road connecting the city of South Mitrovica with North Mitrovica was asphalted on Monday.
The bridge, planned for the passage of vehicles and pedestrians, is 51 meters long and 10 meters wide, and is expected to be opened to traffic on September 1.
While the workers of the company contracted by the Ministry of Infrastructure were carrying out their work intensively, on both sides of the bridge, patrols of the Kosovo Police Special Unit stood right next to them.
Their deployment, according to the deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, was done for the safety of the workers.
"The moment work began at this site, we brought the police to this place, as the workers should be able to do their job, as they have been continuously hindered by citizens who have enjoyed coming and seeing what is going on. That is, one is for reasons of safety of the workplace, so that the workers can do the work as they know how without obstacles and the second is that we have had cases where an explosive device was thrown at us earlier in the north, like a pump in Zveçan, and we have the police here to ensure that a similar situation does not happen," said Elshani.
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The construction of this road is being carried out in record time, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, has also boasted about this.
"Only 54 days since we started. Today, asphalt is being laid on the bridge and the roads that connect the bridge to the south and north of the Ibar," said Durmishi.
But, the same Ministry took more than a year to build a bridge over Lake Badovci, which is 1 meters long and 38 and a half meters wide.
The construction of the bridge over the Ibar River has been followed with enthusiasm by Albanian citizens.
Many of them were closely observing the works on Monday.
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"I am an expatriate and we experience this bridge as a connection between two communities, Serbs and Albanians, even though Kosovo is undivided, I only congratulate the government for taking this step. We see it as very positive," said Sakip Vojvoda, a citizen.
"I was on strike in Trepça for a week, and even today, with this bridge that I see, it's as if I was on strike at that time, and we fought for it...", said another citizen, Islam Brahimi.
"We are uniting our country, today, with the blink of an eye, it was done for me," said Sadije Brahimi - a citizen.
The construction of two bridges over the Ibar River, one for the passage of vehicles and pedestrians, the other for pedestrians only, was carried out following a memorandum between the Ministry of Infrastructure and two municipalities, South and North Mitrovica.
The total cost of their construction is around 3 million euros.
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But, shortly after the start of the works, the Special Prosecution Office launched investigations into the contract under suspicion of misuse of public funds.
The project was also accompanied by reactions from internationals.
