STORY: Croatia unimaginable without Peljesac Bridge: Croatian Roads chief
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 20, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 22, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:02
LOCATION: Zagreb
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Croatia-related footage
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): JOSIP SKORIC, General Manager of Croatian Roads
3. various of Croatia-related footage
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Croatian): JOSIP SKORIC, General Manager of Croatian Roads

STORYLINE:

Croatia would be unimaginable without the Peljesac Bridge built by a consortium of Chinese enterprises led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), said Josip Skoric, general manager of the state-run road operator Croatian Roads.

Skoric's remarks came after the Peljesac Bridge was acclaimed as the best project among 32 EU-funded projects in a recent survey.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): JOSIP SKORIC, General Manager of Croatian Roads
"We recently received recognition from the citizens of the Republic of Croatia. They voted the Peljesac Bridge as the best project in the last 10 years, and therefore it is a recognition of the importance of the bridge, which has marked Croatia's entry into the European Union."

Describing the CRBC as a "respectable" contractor, Skoric hailed the hard work, professional spirit and technical innovation of the Chinese side in building the bridge, as technically, it was "an extremely demanding" project.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Croatian): JOSIP SKORIC, General Manager of Croatian Roads
"We have never built a facility like this before. Not only for the Croatian Roads, but for the whole of Croatia, such a facility has never been built in such a way.
We got it in a very favorable arrangement, that is, under a very favorable contract with the Chinese company CRBC.
Now after everything is finished, we can say that we have a respectable building that belongs to the world's greatest achievement in bridge construction."

The 2.4-kilometer-long bridge connects Croatia's mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula on the country's southern Adriatic coast.

So far, some 3.5 million vehicles have passed through it since its opening on July 26 last year.

It has significantly cut travel time to the Adriatic coast, promoted transport and increased economic opportunities for the region.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zagreb.
(XHTV)