New pedestrian bridge over the Ibar River opens

2025-12-17 18:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The new bridge over the Ibar River, connecting South Mitrovica, inhabited by an Albanian majority, and North Mitrovica, inhabited by a Serb majority, has been opened for pedestrian traffic.

The new bridge was inaugurated by the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, the acting Minister of Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, and the head of South Mitrovica, Faton Peci.

Kurti said that with the opening of this pedestrian bridge, "circulation will increase and there will be as much mobility as possible in Mirovica, in this city so important for our Republic."

According to Kurti, this construction represents "development and progress."

Kurti said that the bridge over the Ibar River has no ethnic affiliation and that it connects the southern and northern parts of Mitrovica.

"We are here to bring people together, so that there is trade, economic cooperation, cultural cooperation... This bridge is not against anyone, this bridge is for everyone. The bridge is for pedestrians, not for vehicles, but for people who move on foot," he said.

Meanwhile, the opening of this bridge coincides with the launch of the campaign for the early parliamentary elections on December 28, after Kurti's Vetëvendosje Movement failed to secure a majority in parliament to form a new executive after regular elections held in February.

Meanwhile, Durmishi recalled that on August 26, another bridge over the Ibar River, dedicated to vehicles, was opened for traffic.

"Today we are marking the opening of a hydraulic and artistic work, not just a pedestrian bridge but a work of art," said Durmishi.

The construction of this bridge was carried out following a memorandum between the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Municipalities of South and North Mitrovica.

The construction of these two bridges, alongside the main bridge over the Ibar, was carried out despite opposition from local Serbs and reactions from the international community.

The acting government of Kosovo has repeatedly said that the construction of these bridges – one for pedestrians and the other for vehicles – is intended to connect North Mitrovica with South Mitrovica, a city that has been ethnically divided since the war.

The executive had allocated about 3 million euros for their construction.

The construction of the bridges was also opposed by the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade, which also raised a petition against them, which received over 3,500 signatures.

The European Union has previously said that the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River in Mitrovica “has practical and political importance,” and that any infrastructure project between North and South Mitrovica requires close coordination and dialogue between all communities involved.

"It is imperative that these projects reflect the will and needs of local communities," the EU previously told Radio Free Europe.

The new bridges have been built near the main bridge over the Ibar, which is part of the Agreement on Freedom of Movement reached within the framework of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

This bridge is known for ethnic clashes after the war and is therefore under the supervision of the forces of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

The main bridge is open only to pedestrians, while the Kosovo Government had announced its opening to traffic in July last year, which caused tensions and reactions from the international community.

Kosovo and Serbia had agreed that the bridge would be opened to traffic in 2014, as part of the dialogue for the normalization of relations.

The revitalization of the bridge and the removal of all barricades placed by local Serbs were planned.

In 2016, a new implementation plan was agreed upon to overcome disagreements over interpretations of previous agreements. According to this plan, the bridge was to be opened to traffic in January 2017.

The revitalization works were completed in June 2018, while the bridge - in which 1.5 million euros were invested - has never been opened to vehicles, but only to pedestrians./ Rel