The Smokovac-Uvac-Matesevo section is a priority project for the Bar-Boljare highway project that will eventually run north to south from Montenegro's main sea port of Bar to the Serbian border.
Cowi was awarded the work from main project contractor
The highway, expected to open in May 2019, runs through difficult mountain terrain. Bridges and tunnels make up about 60% of the entire 41km Smokovac-Uvac-Matesevo route. Included are 16 twin-tunnel sections, mainly through complex flysch bedrock and several major bridges across valleys.
Work has already started on the Moracica Bridge, a 960m-long viaduct which will carry the highway over the steep Moraca River Canyon, north of the capital Podgorica. Construction of the bridge's five pillars, the tallest of which is 161m, was completed at the end of October 2017. When the bridge is completed, the road will be 180m above the terrain at its highest point, making it the highest bridge in the region.
Cowi's scope includes assistance with the advanced geological forecasting of rock mass conditions and interpretation of instrumentation and monitoring. Cowi will also assist with the design of the primary tunnel lining support, which will be carried out by full-time engineering geology staff on site.
The advice will be provided by engineers from Cowi's Bridges International division, based in Copenhagen, and geotechnical centre of excellence in Glasgow.
For the Moracica Bridge section, Cowi's scope includes an independent review, modelling of the geometry and its control during construction and production of a construction control manual and site supervision during construction.
Construction contracts for the southern and northern sections of the Bar-Boljare highway are yet to be awarded.
