The construction of two new bridges on either side of the main bridge over the Ibar River — an initiative through which the acting Government of Kosovo aims to connect the Serb-majority North Mitrovica with the Albanian-majority South Mitrovica — will begin in the afternoon of July 1, the acting government has announced.

The foundation stones for the two new bridges, one for vehicles and the other for pedestrians, will be laid on Tuesday at 5:00 PM.

The event will be attended by Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti; the Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq; the Deputy Mayor of South Mitrovica, Arian Tahiri; the Acting Minister of Local Government Administration and Chair of the Joint Board of both municipalities, Elbert Krasniqi; as well as the Acting Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu.

The acting government told Radio Free Europe that the bridge construction project was initiated at the request of both municipalities, following the establishment of the Joint Board of Mitrovica.

The memorandum of understanding, according to the statement, outlines that the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MESP) will fund and implement these infrastructure projects — which include the construction of pedestrian and vehicle bridges over the Ibar River — in order to facilitate the free movement of people and goods.

Regarding the possibility of opening the main bridge over the Ibar for vehicular traffic — an issue that caused tensions last year — the government emphasized that its position remains unchanged:

“The main bridge over the Ibar must be fully open to traffic, while the construction of the two new bridges will further contribute to the spirit of cooperation between the two municipalities and the free movement on both sides of the Ibar River,” the statement said.