Construction of D-403 road ensures funding
On December 18, 2018, a grant agreement was signed in Rijeka for the construction of the D-403 road from the Skurinje to the Rijeka port. The contract was signed by the Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Director of the Central Program Financing Agency and EU Projects, Tomislav Perić, and President of the Croatian Road Administration, Josip Škorić. Grants are provided under the European Regional Development Fund, Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion by 2020. Total grants amount to HRK 520 million. Project financing is implemented in the ratio of 85% of the co-financing from EFRR and 15% from the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia.
The Grant Agreement for the DC403 State Motorway Construction Project from Škurinje to the Port of Rijeka provides funds for the construction of a new state road that will connect the future Zagreb Deep Sea container terminal and the port of Rijeka directly to the main Croatian road corridors further towards Europe. This link to the port in Rijeka, defined as the core port of the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T, connects with the rest of the transport network, which, along with the rail linkage with the hinterland, is an important prerequisite for its efficiency and competitiveness.
The general objective of the project is the construction of the DC403 state motorway from the Škurinje to the port of Rijeka, while the specific goal relates to connecting the seaport of the main network to the main network road network, improving road safety, shortening travel time, improving regional mobility, improving regional accessibility, in the zone of settlements and reducing noise levels and CO2 emissions in the area concerned.
Construction of the future Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal within the Rijeka Gateway project is coming to an end, and the realization of the D-403 road construction project will directly affect the high terminal functionality by removing existing traffic bottlenecks and enabling faster manipulation of freight to the port of Rijeka. The planned state motorway DC403 will connect the existing node of Škurinje to the Rijeka bypass (part of the TEN T of the A7 motorway) and the western part of the port of Rijeka (the main port of the Zagreb Coastal Container Terminal – under construction) and thus represent the missing connection of the main port of Rijeka with the TEN-T network. Project activities will include construction of works on the construction of state motorway DC403 from the Skurinje to Rijeka port. The route of the planned D403 motorway linking the existing Škurinje node at the Rijeka Bypass and the Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal is 3.5 km long, and the project involves the construction of connecting roads, reconstruction of existing, new intersections, construction of three viaducts, tunnels and installation of optical infrastructure.
In addition, the mentioned project also affects the traffic of the city centre. Construction of the D403 will open a new entry into the center of Rijeka, shorten travel time, reduce noise levels and emission of harmful gases, and improve road safety in the Rijeka traffic area.
Project objectives are in line with the objectives and priorities of the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020 and the Strategy of the Republic of Croatia 2017-2020.