ZAGREB, July 22 (Xinhua) -- More than 4.7 million vehicles have crossed the Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge since it was inaugurated in 2022, said a project manager from Croatian Roads in an interview with Xinhua on Monday.
Davor Peric underlined that the bridge has played a key role in boosting tourism, transport, logistics and other industries in southern Croatia.
The number of vehicles using the bridge has been increasing year-on-year, especially during the summer tourism season, Peric said, adding that moreover, there have been no traffic accidents since the bridge opened in July 2022.
"What makes us really happy is that until today we do not have any real accidents concerning passenger lives, which proves that the design of the project itself is very good," he said.
Peric welcomed the fact that the bridge has connected the Peljesac Peninsula with the Croatian mainland for the first time. Tourists and logistics drivers no longer have to make detours to go to cities in southern Croatia.
"What is really important for us is that this project gave new traffic routes to the Croatian south, and we believe that it has significantly improved life there," Peric said.
There were several unsuccessful attempts to build the bridge before, and many people in Croatia were initially concerned that the Chinese might not succeed either. "That was why everyone felt proud when it was finished, and it meant a lot to everyone in Croatia, not just the locals living in the south," Peric said.
He expressed his appreciation for the consortium of Chinese enterprises led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), for finishing the construction of the Peljesac Bridge on time, and overcoming technical difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We really needed to fight to keep the project going, and I can say that this was not easy, but the work has never stopped. We managed to finish the project on time, despite all these circumstances," he said.
"At the beginning we were a little surprised by the way they handled the work, and I think they also needed time to adapt to the local conditions and the way we do the work here. But seeing the end product, we can definitely confirm that this collaboration was very successful," he added. ■