They couldn’t open the main bridge, so now they’re building two new ones? Two new bridges across the Ibar River in the divided city of Mitrovica are planned to be constructed – one on each side of the main Ibar bridge.
This is not fake news. The announcement came with an illustrative image published today by the ruling Vetëvendosje Movement, appearing to show a proposed design for the two new structures.
Just days after the municipalities of North and South Mitrovica established a Joint Committee, the first inter-municipal memorandum was signed yesterday – an agreement on the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar.
The document was signed by North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atiq, South Mitrovica Deputy Mayor Arian Tahiri, and Kosovo’s acting Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu.
“We’ve begun the memorandum by signing a joint project for the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River – projects that will ease movement for citizens of both municipalities and serve as infrastructure for communication and cooperation, strengthening social integration and economic development on both sides,” Aliu stated last night.
No further details were shared regarding the timeline, locations, or design of the bridges. However, the initiative has already been welcomed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla.
Today’s announcement by Kurti’s Vetëvendosje Movement appeared to provide additional details. An illustrative image shared on their social media channels suggests the bridges will be built to the left and right of the existing main Ibar bridge in central Mitrovica.
In a post accompanying the image, the party reiterated information from yesterday’s agreement:
“The cooperation memorandum between the Ministry of Infrastructure and the municipality of North Mitrovica begins with a project to construct two new bridges across the Ibar River, connecting the southern and northern parts of Mitrovica. The project will facilitate movement and serve as infrastructure for communication, integration, and development between both parts of the city. This was emphasized during the signing ceremony attended by Minister Liburn Aliu, Mayor Erden Atiq, Minister Elbert Krasniqi, and Deputy Minister Hysen Durmishi.”
Meanwhile, several Albanian-language news portals and social media pages have published unconfirmed reports on the likely locations of the bridges.
According to Jepi zë, one of the new bridges will be built near the „Three Towers“ residential complex, while the other will be located near the North Mitrovica municipal building.
The FB Page Mitropol, which published similar claims, has accused Vetëvendosje of misleading the public with its illustrative image.
Aside from the ruling party, no official technical details or planning documents have been released yet.
What About the Main Bridge?
As construction plans for new bridges emerge, the main Ibar bridge – symbolic of the deep divide between the majority-Serb north and the majority-Albanian south – remains closed to vehicular traffic, though it is open to pedestrians.
Authorities in Pristina have repeatedly called for its full reopening, citing the need for freedom of movement and normalization of life in the city.
The issue of the bridge’s reopening was last raised by the current local government, which took office after Kosovo Serbs withdrew from local institutions at the end of 2022. The effort gained momentum in the summer of 2023, when renovation works were carried out on and around the bridge, along with a technical durability assessment.
The initiative had the backing of Kurti’s government (now in caretaker status), with officials announcing plans to reopen the bridge and even testing its structural integrity.
Despite this, the bridge remained closed, and the matter has since faded from public discussion.
Unlike authorities in North Mitrovica and Pristina, Serbian officials and local Kosovo Serbs remain firmly opposed to reopening the bridge to traffic.
The 2023 announcements drew sharp reactions from international actors – most notably KFOR, whose personnel remain stationed at the bridge around the clock.
The NATO-led mission reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring security and freedom of movement, but also emphasized that any actions must be coordinated in line with previous agreements reached through the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
Belgrade continues to insist on dialogue within this framework, while Pristina maintains the issue is an internal matter.
Currently, five bridges in total connect the northern and southern parts of Mitrovica.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
