Posted in 
November 3rd, 2009
It was one of Croatia’s more grandiose infrastructure plans. The idea was to construct a bridge connecting the Peljesac peninsula with the mainland thereby eliminating the need to drive through Bosnian territory. What? Bosnian territory? Yes, the Dayton Peace Accords signed in 1995 provided that Bosnia-Hercegovina should have an outlet to the sea. Bosnian territory extends down to the port of Neum which means that you must pass through Bosnian territory if you drive the coastal road from Split to Dubrovnik.
Although it worked well, Croatia became uncomfortable with the arrangement and came up with the idea of bypassing Bosnian territory by building the aforesaid bridge. It was to be four lanes wide and the second longest bridge in Europe. The plan came under criticism almost immediately as an expensive boondoggle design to line the pockets of politically-connected contractors.
Now with the Croatian economy sagging, plans for the Biggest Bridge have been put on the back burner. The government has just announced that construction will be slowed and a new bridge is not likely before 2015.
So for now, get your passports out for when you pass the Bosnian checkpoint at Neum. See more about driving the Croatian coast.
