September the 17th, 2026 – Croatia is set to get a new road worth over €200 million, and it’s being widely compared to Pelješac Bridge.
The project includes two interchanges, five viaducts, four overpasses and two bridges. Poslovni reports that the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is building a 16-kilometre expressway that will finally directly connect Požega with the A3 Zagreb – Lipovac motorway. The new road will link Požeški Brestovac with the Godinjak interchange, where it will then connect to the motorway.
This is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Slavonia, which should significantly improve the transport connectivity of Požega-Slavonia County with the rest of Croatia. The route of the expressway runs south of Daranovci, after which it enters the forested area of Babja gora. There, a single-tube tunnel 1,650 metres long will be built, and the route then descends along a natural valley towards Tisovac and Godinjak. The project includes two interchanges, five viaducts, four overpasses and two bridges. The construction deadline is 48 months, meaning the new road should be completed by the end of 2029.
požega will get a faster link towards both zagreb and slavonski brod
The expressway is being built along the route of the existing state road D51, which has so far been the main transport link between Požega and surrounding settlements with the rest of the country. The new road should bring a safer and higher-quality connection to the A3 motorway, and thereby also to Zagreb and Slavonski Brod.
“This expressway represents the largest single project of Croatian Roads after the Pelješac Bridge. This is a big day not only for Croatian road construction, but also for Požega-Slavonia County, because it will be better and more safely connected to the motorway,” said Transport Minister Oleg Butković at the ceremonial introduction of the contractor into the works in Godinjak in November last year. For the residents of Požega-Slavonia County, the project represents the end of long-standing transport isolation. Due to frequent landslides and damage, the D51 does not fully meet modern standards of safety and traffic flow, so the new expressway will take over an important share of the traffic.
the požega interchange on the A3 motorway is also being built
At the beginning of February, a contract was also signed for the construction of the Požega interchange on the A3 motorway. The Požega interchange is part of the integral project for the construction of the expressway, which will connect to the motorway precisely at that point. The investor for that part of the project is Croatian Roads. When the works are completed, after decades of waiting Požega will finally get a direct fast road link with the A3 motorway, which should further improve the transport accessibility of the city and the entire Požega-Slavonia County.
