THE ROADS OF YUGOSLAVIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01018A000300040001-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 24
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1960
• Content Type: IR

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Geographic Intelligence Report
THE ROADS OF YUGOSLAVIA
CIA/RR GR 60-3
DOCUMENT NO.
13f
December 1960 NO CHANGE "IN CLASS. C
Af EC!.ASS'.a-'M
CLASS. C;1AN2GFC TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW D;k E:
AUTH:
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DATE.RAMIT REVIEWER: 006514
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
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Geographic Intelligence Report
THE ROADS OF YUGOSLAVIA
CIA/RR GR 60-3
WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
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No F7_ -
CONTENTS
Page
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. General Characteristics of the Road System . . . . . . 2
III. Problems of Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
IV. Road Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
V. Construction Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Photographs
Figure 1. Road crossing the Dinaric Mountains . . . . ? 6
Figure 2. Limestone along road cut . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 3. The highway between Belgrade and Zagreb . . . 9
Figure 4. Part of a first-class route . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 5. Poorly maintained macadamized road . . . . . . 12
Figure 6. Part of the Adriatic Highway . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 7. Youth Brigade at work . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 8. Road through the uplands . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 9. Local workmen using mobile rock crusher . . . 17
Figure 10. Construction on Ljubljana-Zagreb road . . . . 17
Maps
Following Page
Yugoslavia: Terrain (29067) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Yugoslavia: Roads (28640) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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THE ROADS OF YUGOSLAVIA*
I. Introduction
As a potential link between Western Europe on the one hand and
Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey on the other, the road system of
Yugoslavia 'could assume a strategic and economic importance not con-
fined to that country alone. At present, however, the roads are in-
adequate not only for transit traffic but also for national military
requirements and the planned development of the Yugoslav economy.
Partly because of the diverse historical development of the Yugoslav
peoples but even more because of the rugged topography of most of the
country, the quality of the roads and the density of the road network
vary greatly from place to place. Yugoslavia does have a number of
good roads, of which the highway between Ljubljana and Belgrade is the
best. In most places, however, the network serves local population
centers primarily, and through routes are made up of short hard-surfaced
stretches extending only a few miles outside the towns and much longer
intervening stretches of no more than poorly maintained macadamized
roads. In large sections of the Dinaric Mountains motorable roads are
nonexistent.
The opening up and developing of remote or economically backward
regions are virtually impossible without better connecting roads than
now exist, and the further growth of partially developed farming and
industrial areas is hampered. A potentially large tourist trade cannot
be realized at present because it, too, is dependent upon the con-
struction of good roads. Furthermore, bad roads are the indirect cause
of considerable losses to the country's economy in the form of vehicle
damage and freight spoilage and delay. For the past several years the
annual average of such losses to the nation because of poor roads is
estimated to be nearly $12 million.
Strategic considerations also necessitate a better road network.
The greatest military weakness of the existing network is the fact
that few good roads cross the rugged belt of uplands that separate the
coast of Yugoslavia from the interior. In time of war the necessary
movement of personnel and materiel from the coast to the interior or
their evacuation from the lowlands into the uplands would be hindered
greatly by the lack of good roads. Even in relatively flat areas of
* The information in this report is based on the best sources available
to this Office as of 1 August 1960.
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the country the roads are generally not suitable for modern military
traffic. It should be borne in mind, however, that strategic factors
might militate against a good road network in the more inaccessible
uplands. During World War II, Yugoslav Partisan forces were able to
operate with considerable success because they found refuge in rugged
upland areas. In many areas, Axis-led military expeditions failed to
wipe out Partisan groups chiefly because there were no roads suitable
for the movement of large punitive forces, and the existing roads were
easily ambushed or blockaded by the Partisans. In the event of another
war, Yugoslav military planners might order the withdrawal of armed
units into mountainous terrain, where a poor road network again would
be a distinct asset to guerrilla operations.
The rate ofdprogress in road building has been slow and stands in
sharp contrast to the high rate of general growth that has characterized
the Yugoslav economy in the past few years. The ultimate goal for road
construction is;a network having 10,000 miles of hard-surfaced roads,
but to date no comprehensive program to accomplish this has been acti-
vated, and road : construction has proceeded on a piecemeal basis. Al-
though Yugoslavia has been the recipient of considerable aid from the
United States, assistance received for road projects has been earmarked
chiefly for the 'Adriatic Highway, along the coast.
II. General Chaacteristics of the Road System
The general'' pattern of the Yugoslav road system is strongly influ-
enced by the topography of the country (see Map 29067, following p. 18).
The uplands, which extend the entire length of Yugoslavia and which,
with their associated hills, comprise 75 percent of the area of the
country, form the most outstanding feature of the terrain. Except for
the high mountains in the extreme northwest, the main mountains of the
uplands have a northwest-southeast orientation. On the west the Dinaric
Mountains abut directly on the Adriatic coast, and only small isolated
lowland areas face the sea. There is no continuous natural route near
the coast. Fewroads from the coast cross the uplands, and movement
from the west t6 the interior is extremely difficult.
The lowlands along the Danube River and its tributaries provide the
principal natural routes of the country. The relatively broad, level
valley of the Sava River extends from the mountains along the Italian
and Austrian frpntiers to its junction with the Danube at Belgrade.
North of the Danube, the Vojvodina lowland provides natural routes
leading toward Budapest and Vienna. Although the road network east
of the Vojvodina lowland is not fully developed, it is possible to move
eastward across'; the Banat into western Rumania. The Carpathian moun-
tain system, however, inhibits movement beyond the Banat. Movement
overland along the Danube toward the southeast is blocked at the Iron
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Gates, but the valleys of the Morava River* and its tributaries provide
natural routes from Belgrade southward to other Balkan cities. The most
important tributary valleys are those of the Nisava, which leads toward
Sofia, and the Ibar, which, in combination with other smaller valleys,
leads to Skopje. Routes utilizing the valleys of the Thar and Juzna
Morava Rivers converge at Skopje, and from here on southward the Vardar
River valley forms a corridor to Salonika. From Salonika, another
natural route extends eastward to Istanbul.
Historically, the valleys of the Sava, Drava, Danube, Velika and
Juzna Morava, and Nisava Rivers and their associated lowlands have
provided the more strategic land routes between Western Europe and the
Near East; the valleys of the Zapadna Morava, the Ibar, and the Vardar
have been somewhat less important. The principal railroads of Yugo-
slavia were built along these river valleys. After estrangement from
the Soviet Bloc, Yugoslavia wanted to maintain contacts with the West
and at the same time maintain a link with its Balkan allies, Greece and
Turkey. It was therefore desirable to focus attention on building
highways along the Sava-Morava-Vardar route, a policy that has led to
the neglect of the Nisava route and other direct connections with the
Bloc.
The international Balkan Highway was planned to link Italy, Yugo-
slavia, Greece, and Turkey. In general the Yugoslav portion of this
road, the Bratstvo i Jedinstvo Autoput (Brotherhood and Unity Highway),
follows the Sava-Velika and Juzna Morava-Vardar route (see Map 286+0,
following p. 18).** It is the most heavily financed road project in the
country and is now about 55 percent complete. When completed the Broth-
erhood and Unity Highway will extend from the Italian border near
Trieste to the Greek border at Gevgelija, about 64+0 miles. It will
connect Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Skopje -- the capitals of the
Republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia, respectively,
whose combined populations form 78 percent of the total for the Federal
People's Republic of Yugoslavia. Militarily, the Brotherhood and Unity
Highway would be both an asset and a liability in time of war. Yugoslav
forces could be moved quickly along the highway to roads leading to any
part of the country. On the other hand, the highway would be vulnerable
to interdiction from the air and to interruption by ground forces ad-
vancing from the north across the relatively flat Vojvodina.
* The Morava River has three sections: the Zapadna (Western) Morava,
the Juzna (Southern) Morava, and -- between the confluence of these two
rivers and the Danube -- the Velika (Large) Morava.
** Although the Bratstvo i Jedinstvo Autoput is considered to be a
first-class route, parts of it are of "superhighway" character, and
are so identified in the legend on Map 286+0.
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At present the Brotherhood and Unity Highway is the closest approach
that Yugoslaviahas to a through route linking widely separated parts of
the country. Current plans, however, envisage completion of several
other roads that together with the Brotherhood and Unity Highway will
form the basis for a modern national road network. Second only to the
Brotherhood andUnity Highway as a major road project is the Jadranski
Put (Adriatic Highway). When finished, this road will skirt the Yugo-
slav coast for almost its entire length, an area where no continuous
route of any im bortance existed previously.
The northern and southern terminal points of this 560-mile coastal
highway have not been finally selected, but Pula, Rijeka, or Trieste,
Italy, will be the northern terminus and Bar or Ulcinj the southern. An
east-west road about 280 miles long between Bar and Skopje, which links
the Adriatic Highway and the Brotherhood and Unity Highway, is sometimes
considered to be part of the Adriatic Highway. Yugoslavia places great
military value on the Adriatic Highway, although publicly stressing to
a greater extent its economic and tourist values. The road is important
because it is tie only alternate route to the Brotherhood and Unity
Highway. It alto provides a means of facilitating the movement of men
and supplies into the interior by providing connections with the few
roads that extei.d inland from the coast. Furthermore, in the event of
a war in which Yugoslavia were allied with the West, the proximity of
the northern end of this road to the countries of Western Europe would
be a distinct military advantage.
Two other roads that will link the Brotherhood and Unity Highway
with the Adriatic Highway are planned -- the Bosnian Highway and the
Ibar Road. The former will extend for about 230 miles from Metkovic,
near the Adriatic coast, to Zupanja, where it will join the Brotherhood
and Unity Highway. The Bosnian Highway will traverse some of the most
rugged terrain of Yugoslavia and will permit communication between the
coast and the heart of the country. In time of war this route would be
vital to the movement of forces and supplies into the interior, and it
would also provide access to many areas suitable as bases for guerrilla
operations. Thy Ibar Road, which will cover a distance of about 190
miles and for apart of its length will follow the Ibar River, will
connect Belgrade, Lazarevac, Rankovicevc, and Kosovska Mitrovica, at
which point it kill join an inland extension of the Adriatic Highway.
The Ibar Road will be important to the planned economic development of
the Autonomous Legion of Kosovo i Metohija (the Kosmet), a region
inhabited by an~Albanian minority group numbering about 800,000.
Albania has often charged Yugoslavia with suppressing this minority,
one of the soret points in the generally poor relations between the
two countries. In addition to economic considerations the closer
communication between Belgrade and the Kosmet afforded by the Ibar
Road will provide the central government with a means for tighter
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political control of the Albanian minority. Because it will connect
the two longitudinal routes of the country, the road will also have
strategic importance.
In general, the major roads of the Yugoslav network form an open
and irregular grid-like pattern, which in some areas is integrated with
the more numerous local roads and in other areas is entirely unrelated
to them. In the lowland region north of Belgrade, roads that extend
outward in various directions from towns and villages form radial pat-
terns that connect with the major network in many places. On the other
hand the roads of southern Yugoslavia follow the narrow valleys through
the block mountains of the region and form a definite although sparse
grid pattern, which ties in with the major network at the larger popu-
lation centers. Throughout most of the rest of the country, the lesser
roads that extend only a few miles outward from the settlements have
developed chiefly as links with the surrounding countryside. They
rarely join the main routes and thus do not form part of the major
network.
Aside from long stretches of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway and
shorter sections of other roads that are fairly uniformly designed and
in good condition, the road system of Yugoslavia at present is charac-
terized by wide variations in widths, gradients, and radii of curves as
well as surface conditions. Not only are roads more numerous but their
quality also is generally better in the lowlands and large valleys than
in the uplands. The roads of the Sava Valley and the lowland north of
Belgrade, for instance, are generally straight, have gentle gradients,
and are well maintained. Most of the mountain roads, however, have
steep gradients, numerous switchbacks, and in places are dangerously
narrow (Figure 1). Such roads are especially characteristic of the
high crystalline mountains in the northwesternmost part of the country
and in the northwest-southeast-trending Dinaric Mountains. Even
through the relatively large valleys of the upland areas, roads are
likely to be narrow, steep, and twisting. Road maintenance in
rugged areas usually is poorer than in the lowlands.
In part, the differences in network density and road maintenance
are due to the differences in cultural and technological advancement
of the various republics of the Yugoslav Federation. Slovenia and
Croatia, on the whole, have more and better roads than do more backward
republics such as Montenegro and Macedonia, and some roads in compara-
tively rugged areas of Slovenia are substantially superior to roads of
the Vardar Valley in Macedonia.
According to the latest figures (1958), Yugoslavia has about 51,750
miles of roads of all kinds, or about 1 mile of road for each 1.9 square
miles of territory. This compares with about 1 mile of road for every
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1.7 square miles of area in Austria (as of 1951), 1 for 2 in Hungary
(1948), and 1 for 1.2 in Czechoslovakia (1958). In terms of good roads
(hard-surfaced, or "modern"), however, Yugoslavia (at the end of 1959)
had only some 3,300 miles of highway, or 1 mile for 30 square miles of
area. Similar figures for other countries are: Austria, 1 mile of
good road for each 3.8 square miles of territory; Hungary, 1 for 14;
and Czechoslovakia, 1 for 5. The original quality and present con-
dition of all these roads vary within each country, and a qualitative
comparison at best is only approximate. Nevertheless, it seems clear
that the road system of Yugoslavia is inferior in nearly all respects
to that of most other European countries.
Figure 1. Road crossing the Dinaric
Mountains. Numerous switchbacks are
necessary as the serpentine roads
wind through steep mountains.
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III. Problems of Development
The present road network of Yugoslavia reflects, to some degree, the
checkered career of the various territories brought together in the
Yugoslav state, and the problem of integrating the network arises in
part from the wide variation in the stages of development in these terri-
tories. Many of the major roads of today -- particularly those in the
valleys of the Sava, Drava, Morava, and Vatdar Rivers -- follow routes
developed by the Romans. After the disintegration of Roman authority
the Roman roads remained and in some cases were extended, notwithstanding
the turbulent conditions prevailing during the Middle Ages. During the
period of Austro-Hungarian control over the northern and northwestern
parts of present-day Yugoslavia, the Austrians and Hungarians built
roads linking Vienna and Budapest with Trieste and Rijeka, respectively.
The formation of the new state of Yugoslavia after World War I
brought together these Austro-Hungarian territories and the less
well-developed areas formerly under the control of Turkey, Serbia, and
Montenegro. Many of the roads that had served these countries stopped
at the borders. Yugoslavia thus inherited a road system that was both
primitive and discontinuous. Of some 50,000 miles of roads of all
kinds within the country at the beginning of World War II, only 2,050
miles were adequate for modern traffic, and another 4,000 miles were
passable only by vehicles with high clearances. The remainder were
suitable only for horse-drawn vehicles. During World War II, little if
any road building was done, and maintenance was minimal. The condition
of the roads at the end of the war, after heavy military traffic and
operations, quite likely was worse than before. The task of building
an adequate road network was therefore of enormous proportions. Al-
though the country has since prospered and has made significant prog-
ress in road construction, the magnitude of work yet to be done
constitutes a major problem.
Another category of problems in building and maintaining the
network arises from the topographical complexity of the country.
Although the need for improved mountain roads is great, the problems
of engineering and construction and the cost of building and mainte-
nance have largely discouraged any comprehensive construction program
for the uplands. In many gently rolling areas the construction of new
roads requires the slow and costly removal of much bedrock (Figure 2).
Even in the lowlands and areas of slight relief the problems of road
construction are large.
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Figure 2. Limestone along road cut. In many parts
of Yugoslavia, roads must be cut through such hard
bedrock.
The usability of the roads is often adversely affected by natural
hazards. In lowland areas, floods are the most serious problem. Some
of the better lowland roads are adequately elevated on embankments and
are not subject to inundation. Other good roads, however, may be badly
damaged by high water (Figure 3) or may be covered with flood-borne
debris. Flooding also is common in the uplands, chiefly in the crys-
talline mountains in the extreme northwestern part of the country.
Here heavy rains or spring thaws swell the mountain streams to a level
where they may wash away or otherwise damage roads. Although flooding
is negligible in the rugged parts of the Dinaric Mountains, where po-
rous limestone tends to absorb rainfall and meltwater, basins within
these mountains may be flooded seasonally and reads may be inundated at
times. In both rugged and flat areas, flood-control measures are
necessary. A stream-control project is .planned for the Grdelica Gorge
of the Juzna Morava, where part of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway
is in danger of being flooded. Heavy snows may block roads in all parts
of the country, particularly in the mountains; and rockslides, land-
slides, and snowslides are hazards in all areas of high relief. Vari-
ous measures, including barrier fences on steep slopes where snow and
rock are likely to slip, are adopted in the uplands to protect both new
and old roads from damage by slides of all kinds.
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Figure 3. The highway between Belgrade and Zagreb
after a flood. Although this is the best highway in
Yugoslavia, it is subject to serious flood damage.
IV. Road Classifications
Yugoslavia usually classifies its roads in two ways, which are mutu-
ally independent. First, roads are designated by numbered classes ac-
cording to their importance to international, national, or local traffic
and, second, according to type of surface, and, in some instances, con-
dition. Either classification may be given on Yugoslav road maps and
in tourist guidebooks and other official publications. A road may be
shown as a first-class route on one map, whereas on another the same
road may appear as a macadamized road in poor condition (see Map 28640,
following p. 18, and the Table below).
Table
Roads in Yugoslavia,
Type of Route
t
U
Total
Milea
e
)
d Surface J
H
Macadam
Dirt
ncu
g
(by Importance
ar
Class I
1,947
3,878
6
68
5,899
Class II
941
7,422
267
458
9,088
20
Class III
189
12,110
2,364
357
15,0
Class IV
56
6,586
14,637
601
21,880
133
996
29
2 7~+
17
1,484
51,887
Total Mileage
3,
,
,
a. Concrete, asphalt, or stone sett.
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The classification of a route according to importance is not gov-
erned in any way by the surface or dimensions of the stretches of road
that comprise the route. First-class routes are of importance to the
nation as a whole. They may lead from Yugoslavia to another country or
from one relatively important urban or :industrial area within Yugoslavia
to another, or they may be of importance as military routes. About 11
percent of all Yugoslav roads are first-class routes. Second-class
routes are those of importance to a particular republic (the major civil
division; comparable to a state in the United States). Such roads
account for about 18 percent of all roads. Third-class routes are of
significance to districts (the second-order administrative division in
Yugoslavia) and comprise nearly 30 percent of the total road length.
Fourth-class routes (not shown on Map 28640), which account for some
42 percent of all roads in Yugoslavia, are merely commune or local
roads.
Of the roads that make up first-class routes, including the Autoput,
or superhighway, about one-third have hard surfaces, and the rest are
macadamized. Some of the macadamized roads of the first-class routes
would not meet standards set for many county roads in the United States
(Figure 4). For passenger vehicles, maximum safe speeds over first-
class routes range from practically unlimited on some sections of the
Autoput between Ljubljana and Belgrade to not more than 20 miles per
hour on many of the macadamized roads. Not all hard-surfaced roads,
however, are classed as first-class routes. Only 60 percent of them
are first class and about 30 percent are second class. Most of the
rest are third class, but a few are fourth class.
Under the second classification, that based on type of surface, the
following four categories are recognized: hard-surfaced roads, including
concrete, asphalt, and stone sett; macadamized roads; dirt roads; and
uncut roads. Some maps also indicate the condition of the surface. The
concrete and asphalt roads in the hard-surface category are self-
explanatory. A stone-sett surface consists of stone blocks laid most
commonly in a mosaic pattern of concentric arcs. The individual blocks
are hand hewn from granite or other hard stone, and are manually placed
in fine sand that has been spread over a suitably prepared bed. This
surface is common in cities and also is used on some sections of major
highways. Roads paved in this manner require relatively little upkeep,
but they often develop a rough surface.
Hard-surfaced roads generally are at -east 18 feet wide and may be
as wide as 50 feet, with firm shoulders extending another 3 feet or so
on both sides. Grades are relatively gentle and curves are wide. Two
traffic lanes are standard, but in some places there are three lanes.
Although 80 percent of all hard-surfaced roads meet modern construction
requirements, many of these roads have fallen into disrepair to the
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point where they are no better than, or not so good as, many macadamized
roads.
Macadamized surfaces are of crushed and rolled rock, usually under-
lain by one or more layers of coarse rock that has been graded and com-
pacted. This surface is by far the most common in Yugoslavia, comprising
nearly 60 percent of the total road mileage. Macadamized roads deteri-
orate under all but very light motorized traffic; a washboard surface
that is also full of potholes develops rapidly (Figure 5). Constant
maintenance is required to keep these roads in even minimal condition,
and most of them are steadily worsening because of inadequate methods
of upkeep, together with increasing vehicular traffic. Although gener-
ally in poor condition, macadamized roads can be used in all seasons.
They are not affected by heavy rains or inundations, except when floods
cause washouts or cover the roads with debris. Macadamized roads are
rarely more than 30 feet wide and may be no more than 10 to 12 feet
wide, and shoulders may be wholly lacking. Grades are steeper and
curves tighter than those of hard-surfaced roads.
Dirt roads generally have some kind of subgrade and are surfaced
with a local-earth fill that is then compacted. These roads deteriorate
even under horse-and-wagon traffic and in wet weather may be completely
impassaall ble dimensions edofsdirt
grades, , and curves
roads.
Uncut roads are usually nothing more than tracks worn by years of
ere
improve
wagon use. No attempt is made
andljeephtype
needed, and generally they are vehicles only.
V. Construction Programs
Shortly after World War II Yugoslavia formulated plans to construct
some 8,000 miles of hard-surfaced highway toaugment the 2,00be0
alloof
little
good road already in existence. Relatively
cated for road construction and improvement," however, and the con-
struction of new roads has proceeded slowly. To date about 6,700 miles
of planned roads remain to be built.
According to Yugoslav officials, total reconstruction -- which
includes the building of new roads and the rebuilding of old ones -- is
* For each year from 195+ through 1958, funds for roads averaged 1.7
percent of the total national income.
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Figure 1. Part of the first-class route between
Split and Sarajevo. Most of the road is narrow
and has developed a washboard surface.
Figure 5. Poorly maintained macadamized road in the
uplands. Broken rock piled along the roadway is used
to fill in holes and ruts. In spite of its surface
condition, such a road may be a first-class route in
Yugoslavia.
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too vast and costly an undertaking to be contemplated at the present
time except on a relatively limited scale. Therefore, temporary repair
(maintenance and limited rebuilding) constitutes the most important
element of Yugoslavia's road program, although temporary repair is also
costly and not efficient enough to prevent a gradual deterioration of
most roads. In the past, considerably less money has been set aside for
the construction of new roads than for the improvement and rebuilding of
old ones. By 1958, however, the allotment for the construction of new
roads had increased to $54 million, an amount that for the first time
approached the $59 million allotted for the reconstruction of old roads.
In 1959, the allotment for new roads had reached $77 million, and the
estimate for 1960 is $107 million.
Road construction usually proceeds on a town-to-town rather than a
mileage basis. Projects are commonly scheduled for completion 3 years
or 5 years after inception, but target dates are frequently extended.
A "new" road is usually one built along an entirely new alignment, but
an existing road that has been extensively rebuilt may also be consider-
ed new. The materials and techniques of construction of new roads vary
according to the terrain and the quality of construction required. A
new road in the Morava Valley is described as being nothing more than
gravel laid on a subgrade and then rolled. This type of construction,
which is common in fairly level areas, in all likelihood will be suit-
able for relatively heavy traffic during the intended period of service,
after which the road will be rebuilt. In some places, "modernization"
may result in almost complete rebuilding. Normally, however, improving
or modernizing roads chiefly entails merely widening, straightening, or
resurfacing, singly or in combination.
Even with slow construction and generally inefficient maintenance
the road network is being improved, particularly through work on the
Brotherhood and Unity Highway and the Adriatic Highway; and the rate
of road construction is increasing each year. About 375 miles of new
hard-surfaced roads are planned for 1960. Although the United States
has aided Yugoslavia in its road program, the money made available for
this purpose has been small in comparison'to total US assistance to
the country. Nearly all of the US aid for roads, which has included
both financial and technical assistance, has been devoted to the con-
struction of the Adriatic Highway.
Among the individual highways planned or under construction the
Brotherhood and Unity Highway, which was incorporated as part of the
Balkan Highway in 1957, is being built according to international
standards and specifications agreed upon by representatives of the four
participating countries. Existing roads in Yugoslavia already provided
transportation over nearly the same route as the projected Brotherhood
and Unity Highway, but the varying dimensions and conditions of these
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roads necessitated almost total reconstruction in order to meet specifi-
cations for the Balkan Highway. Original plans called for the completion
of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway by 1962, but by early 1960 only some
55 percent had been finished. Some sections that are now completed
follow new alignments, chiefly in areas of level terrain where construc-
tion was relatively easy. Most of the sections yet to be built, however,
are in areas of difficult terrain; and here existing roads will be im-
proved and put into use. The specified width of the highway, including
the shoulders, is to be 10 meters; and the hard-surfaced roadway is to
be 7-1/2 meters across. Normally, the specified minimum radius of hori-
zontal curves is 250 meters, but in some exceptional places it will be
reduced to 100 meters. Gradients are to be slight, and junctions with
small local roads will be avoided by the construction of overpasses or
underpasses. Hard surfaces of concrete, stone sett, or asphalt are
called for.
Most of the construction of the Adriatic Highway has been or will
be over minor local roads already existing (Figure 6). In many places
Figure 6. Part of the Adriatic Highway. Most of this
highway has been or will be built over existing roads.
Along the narrow, rugged coast of Yugoslavia, widening
the roadbed, straightening the curves, and making other
necessary changes are very costly.
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along the coast the steep slopes and lack of shore area make it impossi-
ble to build new roads. Much of the inland extension a from not Skopje)
however, will consist of new roads whose alignments estittyet been out
surveyed. The total cost of the Adriatic Highway was $193 million. The entire project was scheduled for completion
ofinh1966,
but latest maps (1960) indicate that no more than 50 percent
finished. American officials have stressed adherence
highway has been
to minimum military highway standards in constructing curves widening
Highway, but in many places the cost of straightening
the roadbed is prohibitively high, and military specifications are waiv-
ed. In general the roadway is to be 7 meters wide (room for 2 lanes),
o be
roas normal yacre td
with an additional meter for the shoulders. allowed.
5 to 6 percent, but as much as 7 p aded
minimum radius o curves is to b100ofethe meters. will
curves where stone esett will
with asphalt except on steeper parts
be used.
was originally scheduled for completion in 1961
The Bosnian Highway
but by late 1959 only about 70 miles of the 230-mile total had been
completed. Existing roads cover most of the route but
of many ofvo. Like require extensive reconstruction, particularly of existing
the Bosnian Highway, the Ibar Road route consists chiefly
of which are in process of being improved. Most of
local roads, many
the road work is needed between Lazarevac and Rankovicevo. This route
is scheduled for completion in late 1960.
In addition to the four major roads that form the networckon of
Yugoslavia a number of shorter roads recently built
aedund udgrado,
struction have strategic value. A road being
which is finished except for a segment approximately 6 miles long
will permit traffic moving along the Brotherhood
ntf w ctoy, ass the city. Branches from this 16-mile ring
and thead Unity y Hof
ay to byp from several directions. Two
road will facilitate access to the cit~he northwestern frontier will
new roads in the high mountains along en frontier will
provide communication links between the Sofatand uppessSav the rugged
links that were previously lacking. One
i terrain between Kranjska Gora and Trento, has beend,ini nedtsecently. Bled and
The other, under construction or possibly
Cerkno. The roads are about 25 feet wide and are surfaced with gravel.
They are reported to be so constructed that they can be mined at
strategic places.
the construction
Planning and coordination of all road
Secretariat ofdTransportnand
in Yugoslavia is the responsibility of
Communication. The actual job of road construction is dividedna. ong the
Secretariat -- which builds and maintains the major
which are
various republics, districts, counties, and cities --
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