Landslide destroys a major road in Montenegro

© Independent Balkan News Agency

Road destroyed by landslide

A landslide which has been happening for several days disrupted traffic on a section of the road Cetinje-Budva. This is one of the most frequent roads in Montenegro and the shortest route from the capital Podgorica to cities on the coast. The copious rains initiated the landslide and the road has already dropped more than five meters. Reconstruction is not possible to begin until the landslide completely stops. In the best of circumstances, remediation is expected by the beginning of the summer tourist season. In the meantime, it is possible to use alternative paths that are 50 kilometers longer than the damaged route.

Excessive rainfalls have initiated the landslide which destroyed the main road in the village Markovići. In the part of the road that the landslides occur, 100 meters of asphalt have been plunged and opened up cracks several meters deep. Every day the landslide is getting larger and larger, and this morning the old road section was moved several dozen meters from its original location.

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The landslide on the highway Cetinje-Budva has expanded by another ten meters, said Mayor of Budva emergency and rescue Zdravko Šljukić and warned that the ground is still active. The cracks on the road have become so deep that in some places they are three meters deep, adding that starting reconstruction works in the current circumstances is impossible.

President of the Municipality of Budva Lazar Radjenovic explained that the cracks in the asphalt had long been observed at the spot where the landslide is happening now, but the recent heavy rains led to the great damage to the roadway, adding that it will take "several months" to repair the damaged section of the road, but it must be completed by the beginning of the tourist season.

According to the head of the Directorate for Transport Savo Paraca, when it comes to remediation it will take months. "We can not do that so quickly. We must stop the entire hill skating. I do not know if we will get into the season, but we'll see. We will do everything in our power to have it ready by the beginning of the tourist season. Paraca explains that they have to work around the public procurement process, because in the case of tenders and other procedures, work would not begin even within the year.

© Independent Balkan News Agency

Podgorica, March 9, 2015