The regional road from Mojkovac to Đurđevića Tara will remain closed this summer. Efforts by local residents and tourism operators in that area of northern Montenegro to keep the road partially open during the day have been unsuccessful, so construction work at the Sokolovina site, which commenced in 2023, will proceed.

A meeting took place today in the office of Vesko Delić, the Mayor of Mojkovac Municipality, as announced at the beginning of May. Representatives from the Traffic Administration, the tourism sector, and local residents were present.

According to unofficial sources from Vijesti within the Traffic Administration, the contractor has pledged to complete the road rehabilitation by the end of this year. They stated that an agreement would be finalized soon to ensure this deadline. They anticipate intensive work that will benefit the tourism sector, the state, and the contractor alike. During the meeting, a proposal was made for the state to compensate the tourism industry for losses incurred due to the road closure.

Tourism professionals in Mojkovac pointed out that they had suggested working hours from 2 PM to 8 PM, allowing access to locals and tourists the rest of the day. However, Bojan Filipović, who leads the local Association of Tourism Workers, expressed to Vijesti that “the authorities have been unyielding and indifferent to the needs of the tourism sector.”

“This road is a crucial element of the northern tourism offer, and its inaccessibility has caused substantial damage to tourism professionals in Mojkovac and Kolašin for the third consecutive season… There are at least 50 households relying on tourism income from Mojkovac to Dobrilovina alone. The tourism sector in this region is struggling to cope with losses; we cannot retain our workforce or clientele. Issues began with the pandemic, worsened by decreased traffic due to the war in Ukraine, and then the road was shut down. Thus, we’ve been facing continuous losses for five years,” he stated.

Filipović asserts that the road closure highlights the state’s lack of concern for a vital economic sector. He has noted that last summer’s tourism season only achieved 20 percent of its expected performance.

“This is not our fault. We are not responsible for the road’s condition, but rather the ‘profession’ and misguided decisions. Therefore, the state should find a method to compensate tourism workers suffering losses. We must be more accountable for this significant issue, being that the ‘lifeblood’ of northern Montenegro has been cut off for the third season,” remarked the president of the Association of Tourism Workers.

The association reminded us that “70 years ago, approximately 500 meters of this road, which has been undergoing work for three years, was completed using pickaxes and shovels in just nine months.”

The road is part of a popular and scenic route favored by international tourists: Morača Monastery – Biogradska gora National Park – Đurđevića Tara, extending towards Žabljak and Crno Jezero.

Rehabilitation of the section in the village of Sokolovina has been delayed multiple times. In February, the Traffic Administration, as the investor, along with the contractor “InteMost,” assured that efforts are being made to continue landslide rehabilitation work as quickly as possible so locals can have a usable road soon.

They noted that “the rehabilitation of the Sokolovina landslide is among the most significant and challenging projects aimed at enhancing safety and security on the Mojkovac – Đurđevića Tara road.”

In November 2023, the then Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Filip Radulović, promised from Sokolovina that the landslide rehabilitation would be finished within a year. He explained at that time that addressing this project would resolve one of the persistent issues on this road section. The project is valued at 10.6 million euros and includes stabilizing an unstable slope and constructing a gallery approximately 400 meters long.

The route from Mojkovac to Đurđevića Tara has not been officially open and safe since 2015. Frequent landslides, both before and during construction, have created additional complications. This spring, around 2,000 cubic meters of soil collapsed onto the construction site.

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