Just days after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced expectations for construction on the Vožd Karađorđe highway to start in summer 2025, Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić revealed that work will actually commence in spring 2025. He stated that a construction permit for preparatory works would be issued by December 15.
While the contractor for the Vožd Karađorđe project has not yet been selected, Vesić noted that the process for issuing location conditions is ongoing and will be finalized by November 15, as reported by eKapija.
The approval for the first phase of the highway, stretching 45.8 kilometers from Čibutkovica to Orašac, is set to be granted by March 1 of next year. Additionally, the construction permit for the second phase, connecting Aranđelovac to Mali Požarevac, will be issued on April 1.
Vesić emphasized that the initial focus is on completing urban planning and technical documentation for the entire 82.71-kilometer route, which will connect the Miloš Veliki and Belgrade-Niš highways. The plan includes three tunnels totaling 2,322 meters, 80 bridges with a combined length of 9,130 meters, 25 overpasses, and 42 plate culverts.
“The supporting structures will measure 5,386 meters, and the route will feature 13 uneven intersections, three parking lots, and two rest areas,” said Vesić.
The draft spatial plan outlines a special-purpose infrastructure corridor for the Vožd Karađorđe expressway, which will span 163.75 kilometers and accommodate speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The highway will consist of two physically separated carriageways, each with two traffic lanes.
Based on these details, it is clear that Vožd Karađorđe will function as a high-speed road rather than a full highway, as clarified in recent regulations. Vesić noted that the expressway will traverse 13 municipalities and cities, beginning in Lajkovac and passing through Lazarevac, Aranđelovac, Topola, Rača, Lapovo, Velika Plana, Mladenovac, and Sopot, before continuing toward Smederevska Palanka and parts of the municipalities of Ljig, Batočina, and concluding in Kragujevac.
