The construction of the Bar-Boljare highway — Montenegro's most significant infrastructure investment — required the relocation of existing 220kV and 400kV high voltage transmission lines that crossed the planned highway corridor. Both line relocations had to proceed simultaneously, within a tight 10-month completion window, with no margin for delay given the highway construction schedule.
The project was executed under a design and build contract between China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) — the main highway contractor — and Energomontaža d.o.o. from Belgrade, acting as the electrical engineering subcontractor. The scope covered full engineering design, procurement, construction, testing, and handover of the relocated transmission infrastructure.
Served as Project Manager responsible for the design phase of the engagement. This encompassed managing the full engineering design process — from geological surveys, conceptual design, and land use planning through to detailed construction drawings — ensuring all outputs met the technical standards of Montenegro's electricity authority (CGES), the employer's requirements, and the applicable regulatory framework.
The role required close coordination between the design team, the CRBC construction management, the supervising engineer (INGEROP Conseil & Ingeniere-Geodata), and the Montenegrin Ministry of Transport as employer — aligning delivery across four distinct stakeholder groups with different priorities and reporting expectations.
The project operated under significant time pressure: both the 220kV and 400kV line designs had to proceed in parallel, not sequentially, compressing the design timeline considerably. Any delay in design would cascade directly into the highway construction programme — a high-visibility national project with political as well as contractual consequences.
The multi-party structure added governance complexity. Navigating approvals across CRBC, the supervising engineer, CGES, and the State Technical Audit Board required careful sequencing of design submissions and proactive stakeholder management to keep review cycles from stalling delivery.
The mountain terrain of the Smokovac–Uvac–Mateševo section posed significant technical design constraints — tower placement, foundation design, and access road planning all required iterative field verification alongside desktop engineering.
The design phase was delivered within the contractual programme, enabling construction to proceed on schedule. The engineering documentation — covering both the 220kV and 400kV line relocations — met the technical and regulatory requirements of CGES and the State Review Panel, clearing the path for physical works and ultimately the successful commissioning of the relocated transmission lines as part of Montenegro's first modern highway.