New Belgrade-Surcin highway section opened for traffic

Photo taken on Oct. 6, 2020 shows the construction site of the Belgrade-South Adriatic highway, also called the E763, in Serbian. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)

BELGRADE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A highway section linking New Belgrade to Surcin of Serbia was opened for traffic on Saturday.

The section, a part of the E-763 highway, is around 8-kilometer long and has three lanes in each direction, a five-meter dividing strip, two-meter-wide pedestrian paths, and bicycle lanes.

The construction of the section began in March 2021 and was conducted by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).

The project, worth about 70.5 million U.S. dollars, is of high priority for Serbia as it will enable a fast connection between Belgrade and the E-763 highway and create a short link between Belgrade and the Adriatic Sea.

A highway is seen in downtown Belgrade, Serbia on April 12, 2020. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)

Attending the opening ceremony in Belgrade on Saturday, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is heading into new infrastructural investments thanks to good financial results this year and low public debt.

"This year, we expect to sign large contracts, thanks to slightly better results... This is the success of Serbia, but also of all our citizens," Vucic said.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, several ministers, the mayor of Belgrade Aleksandar Sapic, and the Chinese ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo also attended the ceremony.

"We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Chinese and Serbian engineers and workers who worked on this section of the road. We are glad that our Serbian friends will feel the benefits of the road every day," said Chen.