Banija Bridge: Opening for Traffic Tomorrow, Works Still Ongoing

The Banija Bridge in Karlovac is expected to open to vehicular traffic tomorrow, August 18, 2026, according to Mayor Damir Mandić. However, work is still in full swing today, August 17, and the City of Karlovac has not yet given an explicit confirmation that the bridge will indeed be opened, Radio Mrežnica reports.

Pedestrians and Cyclists Already Crossing the Bridge

Although work is still ongoing, according to information from the field, pedestrians and cyclists are already crossing the bridge over the Kupa River, Kaportal writes. This is also visible in published photos, despite the fact that the construction site has not yet been officially closed.

A Year of Disrupted Traffic

Work on the Banija Bridge began on August 18, 2025, with a 12-month deadline for reconstruction. If the deadline is not met, the contractor should face penalties, Radio Mrežnica reports.

The closure of the bridge over the past year has significantly hampered traffic through Karlovac, especially with several other open construction sites in the city requiring temporary traffic management. At one point, the Banija city district was even cut off, when crossing the bridge became closed even to pedestrians, leaving access to the city only via the expressway.

Opening Would Ease Traffic

The Karlovac city administration has been sent an inquiry regarding the completion of the works, both for this phase that would greatly ease traffic through Karlovac, and for the final completion of the entire bridge renovation, Kaportal writes. No response had arrived at the time of publication.

The bridge was unequivocally in desperate need of renovation, and some even advocated for its demolition and the construction of a new one. Now that the renovation is nearing its end, it remains to be seen whether the deadline will indeed be met and whether the contractor will face penalties, concludes the article's author, L. Grčić, for Radio Mrežnica.