Although the intersection with D-403 and Rikarda Benčića Street will get new asphalt by the end of the day, Vodovod i kanalizacija (ViK) warns that the construction of a sewage collector and water supply system is next. The pace of works depends on permits, and the completion deadline is unknown.
Asphalting of parts of Zvonimirova Street at the critical intersection with state road D-403 and Rikarda Benčića Street should finally be completed today, confirmed the municipal company Vodovod i kanalizacija (ViK). However, this news does not bring relief to drivers, ViK announces that this is just a pause before new, even more demanding infrastructure works.
The asphalting works near the Novi list building are part of the project "Improvement of Water Management Infrastructure in the Rijeka Agglomeration Area," worth 300 million euros. The investor is ViK, and the contractor is the Albanian company Gener 2. However, as soon as the asphalt cools, excavation is expected to begin for the laying of the sewage transport collector and transport water supply line. The planned stretch extends from the intersection to the park in Zvonimirova Street and the HEP transformer station, towards Opatija, and along Benčićeva Street, which connects the intersection with Čandekova Street.
The whole story dates back to 2022, when Gener 2 signed a contract with ViK worth 27,304,892.22 euros with a 36-month deadline. The works on the 890-meter-long section were supposed to be completed before Croatian Roads finished the D-403, but they stalled because the Albanian company could not obtain permits for its engineers from the Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers.
In the summer of 2022, Gener 2 filed an appeal with the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, which a year later annulled the Chamber's decisions. In the meantime, Croatian Roads completed the intersection without the necessary infrastructure, which meant it would inevitably be dug up, which happened this year.
Attempting to resolve the stalemate, ViK issued a tender for a new contractor on this section in early 2023. Gener 2 appealed to the State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures, which ruled in their favor. Thus, ViK, in addition to the works not being completed on time, also had to pay 9,155 euros in appeal procedure costs.
ViK director Damir Togunjac was clear yesterday: "the time and pace of future works at the intersection depend on the contractor obtaining consent from the road owner for the works." This specifically means that Gener 2 must get the green light from Croatian Roads for the section up to the connection at the HEP transformer station and from the City of Rijeka for Rikarda Benčića Street. Responses to inquiries about these consents are still pending.
The contract between Gener 2 and ViK includes the construction of 12.5 kilometers of sewage pipelines and 5.3 km of water supply pipelines, nine pumping stations, five retention basins, ten storm overflows, and one oil and grease separator. The works span the wider city center of Rijeka and the settlements of Mlaka, Kozala, Pećine, Trsat, and Martinšćica. A large portion of these works, which were supposed to be completed within three years, is still unfinished, and the end is not in sight.
