In the last ten years, Banja Luka has become a city of roundabouts. The roundabout, once a rare traffic solution, today is an integral part of almost all important city roads, from the city center to the eastern and western transit.
Briefly:
- In the next two months, the roundabouts at “Audi service” and “Skorpione” are expected to be completed.
- The value of these intersections is about three million KM.
- New solutions are also planned for the eastern transit for greater safety and traffic flow.
If you haven’t set foot in Banjaluk for several years, the first drive through the city streets could leave you in complete amazement… A city that was once recognizable by long lines in front of traffic lights and the nervous sound of sirens, today lives a completely new traffic reality. Currently, several roundabouts are being built in Banja Luka.
Projects in progress
This is how a roundabout is being built at the intersection near Bulevar Vojvoda Stepa Stepanović and Majka Jugović. The construction of a roundabout at this location represents one of the most significant traffic projects in the city, given that it is one of the most frequent intersections in Banja Luka. “We expect that the new roundabout will significantly increase the flow of traffic and relieve the congestion that is created at the existing traffic lighted intersection. It is a modern roundabout with two entrance and two exit lanes, with specially lit and arranged pedestrian crossings, because we pay special attention to the safety of all road users,” said Mayor Draško Stanivuković.
Two new roundabouts
Two new roundabouts are also being built, near “Audi service” and “Skorpione”, and both projects are expected to be completed in the next two months. These intersections are worth a total of about three million KM. “There was also the initiative of Councilor Igor Maksić to put one of the symbols dedicated to FK Borac, which this year celebrates its anniversary, in one of the roundabouts. We will consider that initiative, and in the coming period I will also talk to the fans and the club’s management. Considering that a large number of Borč fans live in this part of the city, I must say that we like that idea,” said the mayor.
Plans for Eastern Transit
On the eastern transit in Banja Luka, the closure of the problematic intersection near the “Euroherc” building and the construction of a new roundabout near “Metal” are planned, and the goal is to increase safety on one of the busiest roads in the city. Stanivuković said that all necessary permits have been secured for the project and that a contractor has been selected. “An important topic is the issue of traffic safety near the ‘Euroherc’ building. You know that the island in between is problematic and that pedestrians literally cross four lanes. We have construction permits, we have a chosen contractor. The financing will be 50 percent from the city and 50 percent from the second level of government,” Stanivuković said. He added that by building more roundabouts on that section, Eastern Transit should get a completely new traffic organization. “We get fully functional and safe traffic with this roundabout. With the construction of the roundabout near ‘Audi’, the entire eastern transit will be desemaphored this year,” said Stanivuković. The first major wave of construction of roundabouts followed with the aim of reducing traffic jams and increasing safety at the busiest intersections.
Built roundabouts
Over the years, roundabouts were built near “Delta Planet”, the Police Administration of the Republic of Srpska, “Ekvator”, the tennis court, as well as at several locations along the eastern and western transit. Among the most significant projects in recent years is the roundabout near “Aquana”, which is planned as one of the key solutions for relieving traffic on the eastern transit and the University City area. In addition to it, the roundabout project near the “Audi Center” in Borik attracted a lot of public attention, which was repeatedly the subject of disputes and administrative procedures before it was finally given the green light for implementation. Although there is no officially published single register of all roundabouts, it is estimated that there are more than twenty of them in the Banjaluka area today, and this number will be further increased by the completion of new projects that are in the construction or planning phase. Roundabouts thus remain one of the most recognizable infrastructure projects in the modern development of Banjaluka, a city that in the last decade has significantly changed the way traffic is organized at its busiest intersections.
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