Safer Roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina

There are a lot more cars in Bosnia and Herzegovina than before. And as half of the roads are in poor shape, that means slower traffic and more bottlenecks and also more accidents. Jasmina Hadzic, the Communications Assistant in the Bosnia and Herzegovina World Bank Office, offers this story.

But there are bright spots: getting in and out of the capital Sarajevo at rush hour isn't the headache it once was. A major bridge spanning the Bosna River that squeezed traffic coming in and out of the city was rebuilt and the road crossing it was too. That has shaved lots of time off idling in the car.

Dzemal Pandza

"I drive through this section on a daily basis. Before there were traffic jams. I used to be stuck in traffic for a whole hour. People were nervous. Since the reconstruction, it is much easier to get to your destination. No nervousness, no traffic jams. Basically, it is much better now," says Dzemal Pandza, a courier who delivers packages and zigzags over the bridge several times a day.

Fixing the worst roads and most dangerous bridges is part of a project supported by the World Bank. The Bank has been supporting the rehabilitation of magisterial and regional roads through the Road Infrastructure and Safety Project, under implementation since 2008. The project builds on the results of an earlier Bank road project, which closed in June 2007. The success of this earlier project led the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to contribute additional US$195 million to a program to help clear the maintenance backlog on the road network, while the World Bank project provides US$25 million to this follow-up program.

Most bridges and tunnels in Bosnia and Herzegovina need a lot of repairs. Roads need work, too. Of the country's approximately 22,615 kilometres of roads, half are in good condition, with the remaining half in either fair or poor condition.

The poor condition of roads and bridges is due to an extended period of neglect after the hostilities, insufficient funds for routine maintenance, lack of enforcement of axle-load limits, and a significant increase in traffic volumes.

Since 1996, with the World Bank assistance about 2,500 kilometres of roads around the country have been rebuilt.

Alma Kezo

"I drive over Jošanica Bridge at least three to four times a week, and as a driver, I can say that the reconstruction of the bridge has significantly improved the traffic. It is much easier to pass this part of the road, as it has always had traffic jams in the past. Now driving through this section is much easier, also thanks to the roundabout just off the bridge," says Alma Kezo, a resident of Sarajevo.

Fixing roads is important: road traffic in and around major urban areas is growing by five per cent each year. There are enough roads but they are not in good enough shape to handle the extra wear and tear. They need upgrading and enhancing. And that is despite a decade of substantial expenditures—insufficient money on maintenance since the end of the conflict has led to the premature deterioration of many roads. Large investments are required to reconstruct roads and bridges, and more importantly to build new ones with more capacity and of better quality to meet the needs of the market economy. Significant investments have been made, and improvements are evident, but more is required.

Road safety also remains a serious social and public health issue. The state of the road network, driver behaviour and limited education, poor or nonexistent enforcement, and significant growth in vehicle ownership and use have increased traffic accidents—there were 436 fatalities and 8,470 injuries in 2004. The 2008 rates declined slightly to 5.3 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles, but the rate is still nearly 3 times higher than the EU-27 average. Hence, road safety is a significant and growing concern that requires a comprehensive response.

Significant progress has been made to work towards better drivers and safer roads. An institutional framework for road safety has been established, and road safety strategies, have been approved in Bosnia and Herzegovina.