Montenegro Local Roads: Procurement Support for Civil Works Contracts

Operation Number 43060

C29800/CZDT-2013-05-04

Non-Technical Summary

File name: ASP_MNE_NTS_v1-1.docx

Document owner: Iva Baláčková, AF-CITYPLAN

Version: 1-1 Date: 05.10.2016

Document status: Reviewed by the EBRD

Approved by: Date:

Document use: MoTMA internal, EBRD internal, AF-CityPlan internal, Aspiro internal, E3 Consulting internal

Acronyms

Acronym Expansion

AADT Annual Average Daily Traffic

CESMMP Construction Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring Plan

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EIA Environmental Impact Assessment

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

ESA Environmental and Social Analysis

ESAP Environmental and Social Action Plan

ESM Environmental and Social Management

EU European Union

MNE Montenegro

MoTMA Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs

NP National Park

OESMMP Operational Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring Plan

Contents

Contents ..................................................................................... 3

1 Introduction and background ...................................................... 4

2 Description of the project ........................................................... 5

3 Route selection and consideration of alternatives........................... 7

4 Identified sensitive environmental and social factors ...................... 9

5 Summary of identified impacts .................................................. 10

Impacts associated with construction ....................................... 10

Climatic factors and air quality ........................................ 10

Noise pollution and vibration ........................................... 11

Public health ................................................................. 12

Geological factors, excavated rock – waste ....................... 12

Land take ..................................................................... 13

Hydrogeology and hydrology ........................................... 14

Ecosystems, habitats, protected areas and rare species ...... 14

Landscape .................................................................... 17

Social characteristics ...................................................... 17

Economic impacts .......................................................... 17

Cultural heritage ........................................................... 18

Waste 18

Impacts associated with operation .......................................... 19

Climate factors and air quality ......................................... 19

Noise pollution .............................................................. 19

Public health ................................................................. 19

Geology ........................................................................ 19

Soil, land-take and land-use ........................................... 20

Hydrogeology and hydrology ........................................... 20

Ecosystems ................................................................... 21

Landscape .................................................................... 21

Social impacts ............................................................... 22

Economic impacts .......................................................... 22

Cultural heritage ........................................................... 23

Waste 23

6 Short summary of proposed mitigation measures and monitoring plan 23

1 Introduction and background

This document is a Non-Technical Summary of Environmental and Social Analysis of the reconstruction

of Lubnice – Jezerine road project. The project deals with the reconstruction and upgrade of the local

road Lubnice – Jezerine (14.5 km) including the construction of a new tunnel (approx. 2.8 km) and new

bridge. The Project location is in the northern Montenegro, in the mountain region of Bjelasica and

Komovi. The Project road section extends from the rural community of Lubnice in the municipality of

Berane to the skiing area of Jezerine in the municipality of Kolasin.

Figure 1 Project location (red ellipse)

Source: [maps.google.com, amended by AF-CityPlan]

In line with currently binding national EIA legislation – Law on EIA (OG of MNE No. 80/05, 40/10), the

local environmental impact assessment was not carried out as part of the Project planning process. This

was confirmed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) statement issued on the Ministry request.

However, to meet the requirements of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Environmental and Social Policy the Environmental and Social Analysis Study was undertaken to assess

potential environmental and social impacts of the Project and to suggest mitigation measures so the

Project meets EBRD Performance Requirements.

2 Description of the project

The Project represents the reconstruction and upgrade of the local road Lubnice-Jezerine (14.5 km)

including the construction of a new tunnel (approx. 2.815 km) and the connecting bridge. Thereby, the

remaining part of the Berane-Kolasin regional road project will be formed. The part of the section

between Lubnice and Jelovica will be adjusted along the existing road with minor modifications. The

new tunnel will connect the settlements Jelovica and Jezerine together with the bridge on the side of

Jezerine – “lokalitet Klisura”.

The project Design divides the road into four sections:

1) Section Lubnice – Jelovica

Design tried to use maximally the existing alignment with some improvements of the existing road

elements. The road pavement will be widened and reconstructed to provide a carriageway width to

accommodate 2 running lanes of traffic (one in each direction) of 6 m to comply with the national design

standards for a regional road. The reconstructed road is designed for 50/40 km/h. Finish grade is

designed with slight ascending above the existing roadway therefore during the construction there are

no big excavations assumed. The biggest design longitudinal gradient is 8.56 % on the length of 307 m

on a tangent. For the reconstruction of this section side cutting of the existing slopes is required for the

extension of the road and embankments. Concerning the structural – tectonic composition, the

conditions for the excavation and future stability of slopes are mostly favourable. Slopes in this section

are over 20 m high and their top must be shaped by easing, removing the blocks separated from the

basis rock in the foundation. 43 sections of retaining walls, 3 box culverts and 14 pipe culverts were

designed at this section. Placing of subgutter drainage is envisaged for drainage of subgrade. Channels

are lined with concrete. Where cuts and side cuts are designed, construction of the concrete 0.50 m

wide gutter is envisaged to be constructed from MB 30.

2) Section Jelovica

Reconstruction of the existing local 4 – 5 m wide road with widening to 6m is designed. The start

chainage is km 16+932.409 and this section is 6.630 km long. Maximum use of the existing road base is

proposed with the improvement of the existing road elements. Finish grade is designed with slight

ascending above the existing roadway due to the effective drainage for the case of snow melting.

Therefore, no big excavations are proposed during the construction. The biggest design longitudinal

gradient is 6.41 %. For the reconstruction of this section side cutting of the existing slopes is required

for the extension of the road and embankments. Concerning the structural – tectonic composition, the

conditions for the excavation and future stability of slopes are mostly favourable. Section Jelovica is

designed for speed of 50/40 km/h. Drainage is resolved by gutters and channels that are envisaged in

the toe of embankment. Water flow is envisaged by the pipe culverts with diameter of 1 m that are

made of concrete precast pipes. There is one AB box culvert with 5 m opening. Placing of subgutter

drainage is envisaged for drainage of subgrade. Where cuts and side cuts are designed, construction of

the concrete 0.50 m wide gutter is envisaged to be constructed from MB 30.

3) Section Klisura

This section includes reconstruction of the existing macadam road, boring of the 2.814 m long tunnel

Klisura and building of the 90.2 m long bridge in Jezerine. The route starts in km 19+339.339, it follows

the macadam road in the length of 850 m and then enters the tunnel Klisura. Finish grade is slightly

ascended above the existing roadway due to the effective drainage for the case of snow melting. The

drainage channel is designed by the embankment. The biggest design longitudinal gradient is 5.01 %.

For the reconstruction of this section side cutting of the existing slopes is required for the extension of

the road and embankments. Concerning the structural – tectonic composition, the conditions for the

excavation and future stability of slopes are mostly favourable. Section Klisura is designed for design

speed 50 km/h in the whole length. Tunnel Klisura starts on km 20+837.000 at 1,391 m above sea level.

Longitudinal gradient is 2.42%. Exit portal is on km 23+651.000 at 1,458 m above sea level. On both sides

of the tunnel plateaux are designed for the connection with the evacuation tunnel and placing the

ancillary works, power substation and tank. The roadway is 6.6 m wide and consists of two traffic lanes

(3 m each) and two marginal strips of 0.3 m each. On the Jezerine side the bridge is designed on the

horizontal curve with the radius of 350 m. Crossfall of the roadway is unilateral and 2.5 %. Total width

of bridge in cross section is 10.6 m. The roadway is 6.6 m wide and consists of two traffic lanes (3 m

each) and two marginal strips of 0.3 m each. There are 3 pillars designed which are high from 14.3 to

16.2 m. On km 20+629 the concrete 4 m long box culvert is designed. Drainage is resolved by gutters

and channels that are envisaged in the toe of embankment. Water flow is envisaged by concrete pipe

culverts with diameter of 1 m which are made of concrete precast pipes. There is one AB box culvert

with 4 m opening designed. Where cuts and side cuts are designed, construction of the concrete 0.50 m

wide gutter is envisaged to be constructed from MB 30.

4) Section Jezerine

This is the shortest section of the project with total length of 0.95 km. Part of the section is elaborated

by the detailed spatial elaboration Mountain centre Kolasin 1450. There is a roundabout on the route

that serves as the connection with the centre Kolasin 1450. Location of the roundabout as well as the

diameter of the circle (31 m) is defined by plan Kolasin 1450. 2 m wide crosswalk is designed there. At

the end of the section T junction is designed for the connection with Kolasin – Jezerine road. The highest

designed longitudinal gradient is between the roundabout and the end of the route and it is 10.2 %.

Slopes in this section are over 20 m high and their top must be shaped by easing, removing the blocks

separated from the basis rock in the foundation. Four sections of retaining walls are designed in this

section. Drainage is resolved by gutters. Water flow is envisaged by concrete pipes with diameter of 1

m that are made of concrete precast pipes. 8 pipe culverts are designed. Placing of subgutter drainage

is envisaged for drainage of subgrade. Where cuts and side cuts are designed, construction of the

concrete 0.50 m wide gutter is envisaged to be constructed from MB 30.

Figure 2 The situation of the proposed road design – 4 sections

Source: [PUTTING, Conceptual Design – Idejni Projekat: Rekonstrukcija Puta Berane – Kolašin dionica Lubnice –

Jezerine, Lokalitet Klisura, Pregledna karta]

3 Route selection and consideration of alternatives

In terms of alternatives considered during the preparation of the design, sections Lubnice – Jezerine and

Klisura have had more variants. Sections Jelovica and Jezerine have been elaborated in only one variant.

The selection of the variants was supported and recommended as well by the Revision Committee which

was present during the whole period of delivering the stages / parts of the design as an expert consultant

(the conclusions were provided to the ESA Consultants). The Revision Committee evaluated the

proposed variants mainly by the financial and economical point of view. Accordingly, to the other

environmental factors, all variants are similar in comparison to air and noise pollution, landscape,

ecosystems, water, soil and geology. The only difference lays in the construction material needs and

waste volumes. The variants with less impact were chosen for the further elaboration.

1. Section Lubnice – Jelovica

For the section Lubnice – Jezerine designer prepared at first two variants for the preliminary design.

There was only slight difference between these variants, which was 1.25 % difference in the price of the

construction. The variant I was designed to use the maximum of the existing road base and therefore

minimum radius of 45 m was applied six times on it. In the variant II horizontal elements with increase

of radius and clothoid range were improved in comparison with the first variant. In this variant minimum

radius of 45 m was applied only four times.

Later, the third variant was prepared for the design speed of 50 km/h for the whole section. Compared

with the two previous variants, the third variant was changed in three sections: km 11+600 – km 13+760

km, km 14+571 – km 14+749 and km 15+026 – km 15+174 km. Ranges of horizontal curves were

increased in these sections so the minimum applied radius is 75 m, which is the minimal radius of

horizontal curve for speed 50 km/h. Longitudinal profile is almost identical with the longitudinal gradient

of 8,63 % on the length of 323,29 m.

In this section, there were therefore some differences in the amount of waste from the demolition of

the existing route (asphalt, stone walls, and concrete walls). Variant III generated the biggest amount of

waste (28 435,97 m2) which was approximately 5 % more than variants I and II. Concerning material

demand variants, I and II differ only slightly. Variant III needs 242 091 m3 of material (40 % of material

of I, III and IV category, 60% of material of I, V and VI category). That is approximately 30 % more than

variants I and II. There are also some differences between the total costs of the variants which was one

of the crucial criteria in the selection.

Total costs of variants are:

- I. variant – EUR 5 593 645,74

- II. variant – EUR 5 664 252,83

- III. variant – EUR 6 210 427,20

Afterwards the road route audit (Revision Committee) was elaborated where variant II was chosen for

preparation of the Main Design with auditor´s recommendations as follows: “It is necessary to satisfy

design parameters according to the “Rulebook on the basic conditions that public roads outside the

settlements and their elements should satisfy from the traffic safety viewpoint”, on the places where

the Preliminary design is not satisfying, improvements of the route elements should be proposed in the

Final design. On the places where due to the field conditions or some other conditions it is not possible

to satisfy elements from the Rulebook, these cases should be individually justified. In two sections

14+571 – 14+749 km and 15+026 – 15+174 the designed elements should be designed per variant III.

This improvement should not affect the construction cost.”

Accordingly, to the other environmental factors, all variants are similar in comparison to air and noise

pollution, landscape, ecosystems, water, soil and geology. The only difference lays in the construction

material needs and waste volumes where the variant III is worse than other 2 variants and in the same

time represents the most expensive variant.

Concerning other environmental factors the selected variant II is similar to the others. Because of less

use of the existing road base the land take is larger than the variant I

2. Section Jelovica

- reconstruction of the existing road along the same alignment

- only 1 variant, no comparison possible

3. Section Klisura

- construction of the new tunnel and the bridge

- 2 variants

The only difference between variant 1 and 2 is the length of evacuation tunnel. Variant 1 has full length

evacuation tunnel, in variant 2 evacuation tunnel is developed only in the necessary sections that are

estimated at about 20 % of the total length of the tunnel. Therefore, variant 2 is cheaper and less

material demanding. The full-length tunnel variant can be assessed as slightly safer than the sections,

from the environmental factors the differences will be minor except the amount of the excavated rock

and therefore the volumes of the rock that should be used or disposed. The rock massif stability

influence and adjacent impacts should be similar in both variants. Finally, the variant 2 was selected that

has lesser environmental impact, while variant 1 is deemed safer.

4. Section Jezerine

- reconstruction of the existing road along the same alignment

- only 1 variant, no comparison possible

During the Conceptual Design, the E&S Analysis was already elaborated in draft to support the variants selection. Nevertheless, the variants differ slightly and taken into account the excavated rock and materials to be used for the construction, the variants with less impact were chosen for the further elaboration.

4 Identified sensitive environmental and social

factors

Environmental and social analysis described all possible matters that could be harmed by the project

such as climate, geomorphology, geology, hydrology, landscape, ecology, air quality, noise, soil and

socio-economic and cultural issues. The potentially most sensitive aspects identified are hydrogeology

and hydrology, nature conservation and biodiversity.

Concerning hydrogeology and hydrology information from Geotechnical Study were used. According to

that there were 10 water courses and periodic torrents identified along the route. Permanent presence

of groundwater was identified only in the zone of alluvial sediments of the Jelovica river, while in the

other part of terrain, it may be expected seasonally. Geotechnical Study included also the description of

drills with groundwater levels. Drills have been realized at the beginning and at the end of the proposed

tunnel and at both edges of the bridge. The drills were conducted in April 2015, the period with the

highest groundwater levels after spring snow melting. According to the cross section, the tunnel will be

bored above the groundwater level.

The proposed route crosses the borders of sanitary protection zone Mušovica Rijeka. In km 22+020 it

partly extends over the territories located within the border of Protection Zone II and III of the water

source Mušovica Rijeka which is a water supply source for the City of Kolasin. Protection Zone II and III

prohibit construction of roads without a system for controlled drainage and storm water treatment,

which is reflected in the project design.

Concerning Nature conservation and biodiversity the project area is located within the flexible transition

area of the internationally recognised Biosphere Reserve Tara River Basin. It is also located in the close

proximity of the Emerald site no. 24 – Bjelasica. The project area is also partly located in the buffer zone

of the national park Biogradska Gora. Landscape-environmental and aesthetic values are specially

protected in the buffer zone. Spatial Plan of Special Purpose NP Biogradska Gora defines regimes of use

of the buffer zone area. This document sets out conditions for the road construction within the buffer

zone. These are: use of sections of the already existing roads; special attention paid to the new parts of

route section over Klisura by: construction along the sunny side slopes; rehabilitation of damages which

might appear during construction, excavation and embankments by planting of autochthonous grass

and bushes with applying the most contemporary ecological procedures. All the above was incorporated

into the road and tunnel design.

Habitat Survey based on field surveys along the route was elaborated in the project area which

concluded that there are 9 habitat types and 7 out of them are listed within the Annex I of the Habitats

Directive. All the identified habitats were classified as common or relatively common in Montenegrin

conditions without any rare, protected or endemic species. Area near the portal of the tunnel Klisura

toward Jezerine is a potential a habitat for brown bear. The National Parks Directorate has commenced

a brown bear monitoring survey, which is planned to be carried out over 4 years.

Concerning the social characteristics of the project area from municipality of Berane side, there are not

permanent settlements, except for weekend settlements in Jelovica (non-mountainous types, used in

touristic season, mostly from April to November). On the mountain summer pastures from Jelovica

direction there are Bojovica, Slatina and Trepca from Andrijevica and locals from Bernae villages Vinicka,

Buče, Lužac as well as residents of the village Gornja sela. Number of herders who graze their herds in

this area is around 10 big cattle breeders registered in the records of the Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Development, and around 20 households with smaller livestock numbers. Number of houses which

are located along this road does not exceed 100 weekend houses. From municipality of Kolašin side,

there are 3 settlements along the route of the local road Lubnice – Jezerine. Those settlements are Smrče

(14 residents in 2011), Mušovica Rijeka (30 residents) and Mujica Rečine (11 residents).

Other types of settlements along the route of the local road Lubnice – Jezerine belong to the alpine

pastures types of settlements with a very small number of inhabitants and wooden houses in which they

reside, in the period from June to October. Altogether there are 11 katuns located. The biggest one is

summer pasture Vranjak close to north-eastern administrative border of Kolasin. Above Lubnice toward

Jezerine there are two small hotels – Hotel Pesic and Ethno Hotel Jelovica. From the side of Jezerine

there is one hotel under construction within the ski centre Kolasin 1450.

5 Summary of identified impacts

Impacts associated with construction

Climatic factors and air quality

Due to the size of the project and the local to regional scale of the project, no significant impacts on the

climatic factors are expected.

The crucial impact on the air quality will be caused by the increase of the dust compounds in the ambient

air which will be caused by:

- Construction machinery movements on sites and its vicinity due to the land levelling and

transport of the material on the construction site, on the current and temporary roads used for

the construction period to transport the material to the temporary/permanent disposal, or to –

from the storages

- Soil excavation, boring

- Site preparation/land levelling

- Demolition of existing road, removal of the material from the site

The character and significance of the impact will reflect the current weather conditions, wind speed and

turbulence etc. The impact on the air quality is therefore assessed as minimal while applying the good

practice.

Noise pollution and vibration

The part of the route which is located in Lubnice runs in the zone no. 4 – residential zone with the noise

limit of 55 + 5 dB. Most of the project area belongs to the quiet zone in nature, therefore the noise limit

is 35 + 5 dB.

Noise pollution will be caused mostly by the machinery and equipment on the construction site and in

the surroundings, accordingly to the respective construction phase and localization of the building site.

The most significant impact is associated with boring of the tunnel, which can be accompanied by

explosions and vibrations. Nevertheless, the explosions will cause crucial impacts only in the first meters

of boring the tunnel, while the noise will be reduced during boring inside the massif. The reconstruction

of the road will cause local nuisances due to the demolition of the current road surface and adjusting

the axis which can cause land levelling in the adjacent rock and slopes. The increased intensity and

volume of the traffic will generate increased noise level and will affect the current traffic and noise

pollution regime in the project area. The Contractor counts with the transport distances between 15 and

25 km to transport the material from/to the site. On the other hand, some of the excavated rock from

the tunnel portal will be re-used – the precise volumes will be known after the on-site testing. The

construction period is estimated at minimum of 36 months. By computing the total transport activities

within 30 months, 20 working days per month, approx. 92 trucks will be generated per day. This number

will vary according to the construction phase.

Considering limited number of local inhabitants with the majority of seasonal residence, the noise

pollution will affect mostly workers and local wildlife. The residents will be affected during their stay

(summer season, weekends) only temporarily during the construction of the road section in proximity

to their houses and during the whole project implementation caused by the transport of the material.

The most affected residents will be the ones nearby the tunnel portal where the site compound will be

located for the whole construction period (residents from 5 houses near the eastern portal). Except

residents in this area, the tourists and economic entities can be influenced by the increase of the noise

pollution, depending on the season. The ski resorts should be only slightly affected as it is expected; the

construction works will stop for part of the winter period. The summer recreational resorts can be

affected more significantly (katun Vranjak, hotel Jelovica, hotel Pesic).

The sources of vibration during the construction will be operation of heavy equipment, vehicles,

machinery and especially tunnelling which will be associated with explosions. The vibration levels are

expected low and will be short-term/temporary but may be perceptible to those close to the respective

construction activity.

Public health

Due to the limited number of local inhabitants and as mentioned in the above chapters seasonal –

temporary residents and users of the area, impacts on public health are expected to be minimal in

relation to the noise and air pollution effects. The most affected can be workers during the construction

and boring the tunnel but by applying the protective – labour safety measures, those should be minimal

as well.

The public health can be affected in the relation to the road safety during the construction where the

heavy trucks will be present on the roads and few building sites (storage of the machinery and

equipment) will periodically appear nearby local residential areas. Those effects are assessed as minimal.

Geological factors, excavated rock – waste

The impacts on geology can be identified in relation to the boring of the tunnel and the adjustment of

the current road axis. The axis adjustment will cause local impact in the places where the rock massif

will be influenced by the road extensions or axis adjustments. In those cases, dependent on the local

conditions, the rock massif will be excavated or stabilized by the gabions, road protection nets, proposed

retaining walls if necessary etc. The impacts on the geological structure and factors caused by the

adjustment of the reconstructed – constructed road sections can be stated as minimal.

The major impact in the geological structure will be caused by the tunnel boring. The tunnel boring will

be done under continuous geological supervision with continuous monitoring of the conditions on site

to propose the most suitable tunnel profile structure. For the purpose of the Main Design Geotechnical

survey was conducted for which has been undertaken 3 boring holes and few drills. The tunnel passes

through few types of rock massif above the groundwater level and the design proposes accordingly

different types of the tunnel profiles which reflect the respective geological conditions.

The excavated rock is the major impact and biggest volume of material resulted from the project

implementation. During the works, the excavated rock will be still tested to prove the conditions for re-

use on site and for the re/construction purposes. In the stage of Conceptual Design the volumes of the

excavated rock from the tunnel dredging was calculated as 543 773.55 m3 for both variant, for

evacuation tunnel 78 856.30 m3 (V2) / 94 940.10 m3 (V1). Main Design envisages minimal amount of

material to be re-used, therefore most of the excavated rock, which is approx. 450,000 m3, has to be

disposed. The requirements to deposit the surplus material from the excavation of tunnel was managed

in accordance with common practice in Montenegro, which is requesting affected municipalities to

examine disposal alternatives within their administrative area. Municipality of Berane proposed to use

certain quantity of material (approx. 100,000 m3) to provide flow control and protection of the Lim river

along the planned embankments from village Talum to village Vinicka. Some quantity (approx. 60,000

m3) could be used for the construction of fills of planned future facilities in Berane – e.g. platform for

Zoo park etc. Municipality of Kolasin proposed to dispose excavated material at newly established

disposal site within areas designated for the Industrial Zone or Sport Zone.

The construction will take place partly on the currently paved road, partly on the unpaved road or other

cultures of land which has never been used for any other purposes that could result in soil and ground

contamination. The contamination of the land can be caused by the machinery on site, storage of the

materials etc. This should be minimized by applying good construction practice and spillage and leakage

measures on the construction site under control of the supervision and inspection.

Topsoil removal is estimated in general to the depth of around 20 cm (depends on location). When the

depth of excavation of top soil under the embankment is below/over the designed depth, surplus or

deficit in the excavated top soil will be calculated based on the levelling book. Removed material will be

disposed along the route in dumps defined by the Engineer and the Client in order to enable easy access

and use of such material later on.

Land take

Impacts on soil are closely connected with the land acquisition which will be completed within the

expropriation process in parallel with obtaining the building permit – for permanent land acquisition.

Before the permit is issued, the negotiation process with the land owners has to be finished.

Expropriation belt will be approximately two meters on each side of the road. According to the

information from graphics and consultations there is no resettlement, nor demolition of any structures

required (fences, walls etc.). No vulnerable groups were detected in the project area and there will be

no one disproportionally affected accordingly to the land acquisition. The permanent land take consists

of 50/50 private and state ownership, the impact of the land acquisition will be minimal in relation to

agriculture purposes because of the very slight amendment of the current road axis. The new road will

be constructed only in short length to the portal from both sides and the influence will be there as well

minimal. The temporary land acquisition (for location of site compounds) will be conducted by the

Contractor of construction works. As of it is expected that 4 building (material, machinery storage &

parking, social facility for workers) sites will be built along the road and most of the construction will be

conducted on the current and proposed land, which means the permanent land take will be primarily

used. The project will require lower quality of land, usually less than 4th class except the forests which

will be acquired of the best quality (1st class).

Forest land take is subject to similar process as the land expropriation. Total amount of forest land take

caused by the project is 8.2 ha. The forest land take includes cutting of the wood and its price in the

financial compensation.

The impact on soil, land and forest land take is assumed as minimal due to the fact, that majority of the

road will be reconstructed and only the axis will be slightly amended, no high quality arable land will be

acquired with the exception of forests which will be adequately compensated together with the wood

and proposed compensation measures.

Land-use will change only within the landstrip required for the widened road and the new alignment

and around the portals of the tunnel. Changes will be in compliance with the agreed contracts with the

respective land owners. The land-use of the accessible area along the road will not change but the

implementation of the project will contribute to the area development in the future thanks to the better

accessibility of the whole area. During the reconstruction of the road, the access to the land will be

temporarily limited. The positive effect lies in the better accessibility to the current land and other

private and public facilities (hotels, pastures, etc.) in the operation period.

Hydrogeology and hydrology

The proposed road encroaches the same water courses to the existing road and improves the technical

solution by increasing the culverts capacity. The side of Jelovica/Lubnice – Lubnice has a partly public

drinking water supply and partly is supplied by individual wells, therefore the water supply cannot be

affected. The individuals’ wells along the reconstructed road as well – the new road will have detailed

and higher capacity of the drainage system but it is unlikely that the existing trends in the groundwater

level and spring/wells yields will be influenced by the construction, if so the impact will be very short-

term. The only risk can potentially occur in the adjacent area of the tunnel which can represent an

artificial drainage channel for the groundwater, accordingly to the type of the acquifier and massif. The

monitoring of the groundwater level is recommended in the area in the distance of 1,5km from the

tunnel portal accordingly to the terrain starting prior to the construction works and continue in the

operation period. The main potential source of impact from construction activities will be effluents from

dewatering of deep excavations, discharge of site run-off potentially contaminated water with silt and

hazardous materials, discharges at stream crossings, sewage disposal, wheel and machinery washing,

accidental releases from work sites, release of special chemicals used in tunnelling and grouting. The

risk of above mentioned potential impacts will be reduced through adoption of a good environmental

and social management on site and of a range of monitoring and controls set out in the CESMMP, some

of the measures are already incorporated in the Main Design (dewatering etc.).

There is only one water course encroached on the side towards Jezerine, Duboki potok. This water

course is not expected to be influenced in the way of yield as the high bridge is proposed above. The

only influence can occur similarly to the construction activities and the design of the bridge itself

incorporates the water course characteristics (the chemical composition etc.). The wells, springs, supply

of drinking water are represented in the sections Jezerine and Klisura by the Mušovica Rijeka water

source which supplies whole Kolašin area with adjacent settlements. The sanitary protection zone was

established for the spring Mušovica Rijeka. The Project intersects the “inner” sanitary protection zone

approx. in the half of the tunnel length till the end of the route to the Jezerine side (approx. in 22 km

stationing), the water source zone itself is approx. 5 km far from the route. It is not expected that the

construction will influence the water source yield but it can influence the water quality by the

construction activities therefore the ESM has to be adopted on site. Main designer obtained the

requirement from the Water Protection Authority Kolasin to elaborate detailed analysis and incorporate

the adequate technical solution to protect the water source.

Ecosystems, habitats, protected areas and rare species

The road encroaches predominantly forestry – meadows habitats and more than 60% of the land

required for the construction is forested, most of it categorised as the best quality (class 1) and large

parts categorized as protective forests.

The reconstruction of the road from Lubnice to Jezerine in sections Lubnice – Jelovica, Jelovica and

Jezerine takes place along the same alignment of the existing route or in its close vicinity. According to

Habitat Survey there are common or relatively common habitats as follows:

5130 Juniperus communis formations on heaths or calcareous grasslands

6520 Mountain hay meadows

8120 Calcareous screes on the montane and alpine levels

8210 Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation

91BA Moesian silver fir forests

91W0 Moesian beech forests

91E0 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior

All the identified habitats are common or relatively common. There are no endemic, rare or protected

plant species in the project area. Since the road is reconstructed there will be no significant impact on

habitats and its loss is minimal.

In some sections of the route, clearance of vegetation for permanent and temporary land take will result

in felling of trees, bushes, shrubs etc. because of the slight adjustment of the existing road axis. Those

are of very low ecological value, similarly to the encroached habitats by the road. According to the Main

Design, approx. 930 ar of the felling of trees, shrubs along the route (together with tunnel) will be

needed.

Table 1 Removal of shrubs and trees, BoQ, Main Design

Lubnice_Jelovica 54,000 m2

Jelovice 4,000 m2

Klisura 11,000 m2

Jezerine 24,000 m2

Total 93,000 m2

According to the expropriation study amended for the purposes of the E&S analysis, it is evident, that

most of the cutting will be done around the tunnel portals and on the acquired forest land where the

details about the tree species, health conditions etc. will be given during the expropriation process. The

indirect positive impact of the clearance of vegetation along the road can be the decrease of the non-

native species and their replacement with autochthonous as required in the mitigation measures which

are in compliance with the Management Plan of NP Biogradska Gora.

The low ecological value of the encroached habitats, especially with the comparison to NP Biogradska

Gora, was confirmed by EPA. Nevertheless, the whole area situated in the north direction to the road,

belongs to the buffer zone of NP Biogradska Gora therefore it can be used by the species which are the

object of the protection within the NP borders (the road runs along the buffer zone in chainage

13+200km to 20+000 km/Jelovica side, and on Jezerine side 23,8km to the end of the project 24+685

km). The habitats will not be significantly directly influenced. The indirect impact can occur as a result

of the nuisances (especially noise) caused by the construction machinery and heavy trucks transporting

the material on the existing road, or any other construction activities, temporary construction/building

site etc.

Therefore, no major impacts on ecosystems and habitats in the reconstruction sections are assumed.

More significant impacts are associated with clearing the area of the tunnel portals and bridge pillars

where felling of trees and clearing all vegetation will be necessary. Similarly, to the other sections, the

habitats are generally assessed as less valuable than within the NP Biogradska Gora borders and as

typical for the region. 3 habitat types were identified in this section:

91W0 Moesian beech forest

91BA Moesian silver fir forest

6520 Mountain hay meadows

These habitats are considered as very common (91W0, 6520) and relatively common (91BA) and there

were no endemic, rare or protected plant species identified.

The current habitats in these locations will be reduced with the adjacent surroundings. Nevertheless,

due to the character of the adjacent wider area where are the same or similar habitat conditions, the

ecosystem prosperity will not be endangered and the populations will likely use that area. The

assumption of the influence on destruction of the ecosystems and habitats during the construction is

therefore minimal.

Due to the character and objects of the protection of the NP Biogradska Gora which borders are identical

to the proposed Emerald Site Bjelasica, it is expected that the road reconstruction sections cannot

influence the NP neither the buffer zone. The core of the NP with the I zone of protection is situated in

a long distance from the road which is supported by the relief character. The core of the NP Biogradska

Gora is made of the virgin rainforest located in the valley of Biograd and Jezerštica Rivers, surrounding

Biograd Lake which is not likely to be influenced by the road reconstruction neither the tunnel

boring/construction.

2 major potential risks were examined in detail during the Analysis in relation to the potential adverse

effects to the protected areas and species:

o The risk of negative impact on the selected species in the buffer zone, decreasing the ecological

value of the buffer zone caused by felling of the forest.

The impact on the whole size of the buffer zone as a barrier protecting the NP Biogradska Gora will be

minimal – the reconstructed road together with the Jelovica river create the south border of the buffer

zone which will be adjusted by the adjusted road alignment. The sections which require larger forest

land acquisition are those of the portal and the bridge footings will have more significant local impact

on the buffer zone and will therefore slightly decrease – narrow the protective width of the buffer zone.

Along the widened sections of the route there is protective forest located and narrow strips of the forest

will be acquired and cut down for the road construction.

o The obvious negative impact will be the nuisance to wildlife by the construction machinery due to

emissions, noise and visual irritation. As described in the ecological baseline chapters, there is a

possibility of brown bear and other “hunted” species being present in the project area. Due to the

large area with similar habitat conditions, it is likely that all species will move to other localities

during the construction period and will return after the construction is finished. The impacts

related to nuisance caused by the construction will be temporary. The opinion of the habitat expert

in consultation with local hunters is, the influence on the brown bear population will be minimal

due to the fact that there is not known presence of dens/lairs in the project affected area neither

the southern slope leading to Vranjak katun. In 2016 the “Bear watch” programme has started

which will prove the presence of the brown bear population, its habitats and corridors.

The locality of the rare plant species will not be likely influenced due to the long distance (approx. over

200 m) of the reconstructed road and its location on the steep slope where the construction machinery,

neither any predicted or identified impacts cannot influence the habitat neither the population

individuals.

Landscape

The landscape will be slightly affected during the construction due to temporary dumping sites, building

sites with fencing/protective walls. The stored excavated rock or removed topsoil etc. will be disposed

or re-used prior to operation commencement. The impacts on landscape and its characteristics are

assessed as negligible during the construction period, they will be temporary and changing during the

construction in accordance with the construction/work site.

Social characteristics

None of standard vulnerable groups that would be disproportionally affected by the land take were

identified in the affected project area. The reconstruction of the road will require similar land acquisition

for all land owners along the road which will be slightly adjusted comparing to the existing one. Slightly

larger areas will be acquired around the tunnel portals, especially the Berane/Lubnice side; the Jezerine

side will acquire land for the bridge, there is no current access road to the proposed tunnel portal.

The only likely more affected group could be the “permanent” residents that will be present during the

boring of the tunnel in its nearest vicinity (Potrk – Jelovica direction, Jezerine area, ski resort Kolasin)

and the summer pasture Vranjak which is located above the tunnel. Those groups will be potentially

more affected by the nuisance caused by the rise of noise and air pollution from the machinery during

the tunnel boring during the whole construction period, katun Vrajnak will be then slightly more affected

by the low accessibility because the portal will lay next to the forest path, the only direct access to

Vranjak from the Berane/Lubnice side. The access to all properties along the existing road will be limited

but it will remain passable during the whole construction period even it will be limited.

The potential source of the negative impact can be decrease in road safety for pedestrians and the area

users which will be prevented and mitigation by the good organization of the sites, information of the

inhabitants etc. The construction of the project will potentially have positive impact on the employment

in the region if the Contractor of the civil works will preferably employ the workers from the region and

use the capacity of the local accommodation facilities. In the relation to public health and safety, the

potentially affected group is rather small as all local inhabitants of the area use the objects only as a

vacation property or seasonally. Therefore, the major impacts on social characteristics are related to

hired workers and their safety, accommodation.

Economic impacts

The construction of the project will take place in a low density inhabited area with almost no permanent

residents as the social survey confirmed. Most of the building objects are used for vacation, recreation

during the spring – summer – autumn season, for weekends. The local interviewers as well assume that

most of the owners of these individual vacation properties come from Berane or nearby. Therefore, it

can be stated the affected area is mostly nature – individual touristic area. The only economic entities

identified, and confirmed by the social survey, are 2 local hotels: hotel Pešic and hotel Jelovica, and eco-

accommodation Vranjak owned by the seasonal resident & farmer of the Vranjak pasture settlement

(“katun”). The construction itself will not have significant impacts on the recreation function of the

landscape as up to date there are present only few economic entities but still the influence may occur

due to noise emission and general disturbance of the construction, e.g. the presence of construction

vehicles, machinery, workers on site during the working hours, transport of the waste rock and materials

by heavy trucks. The potential impact can be identified on all economic entities (hotel Pesic, hotel

Jelovica, eco-accommodation Vranjak) due to the limited access to the facilities and due to the nuisances

caused by the re/construction activities itself. The limited accessibility impact is expected very low as

the Contractor of the civil works is obliged to provide the alternative access for the whole period of the

reconstruction. This will be challenging for the pasture Vranjak because of the local condition of the

current road and the terrain. All of the above discussed facilities can be affected by the loss of income

during the construction period caused by the impacts stated above. The main attraction of the above

businesses/facilities for the tourists is their location in a natural, traditional, calm environment, away

from the busy areas and industry. This tranquil environment will be affected to some extent by the

reconstruction of the road (Pesic, Jelovica) and more significantly by the boring of the tunnel (Vranjak).

Therefore, the Vranjak eco-accommodation and pasture is expected to be affected with potential loss

of income during construction period due to decreased number of tourists visiting the facilities.

On the side of Jezerine, there is only ski resort Kolašin which will be influenced by the traffic and nuisance

significantly as well due to the boring of the tunnel, the bridge construction, heavy trucks transporting

the excavated rock till Kolašin. The impact on economic activities, which are related to skiing occurs

mainly in the winter months, will be mitigated by the fact that during the main season of the ski resort,

it is expected that the works will be interrupted during the periods of very low temperatures.

Cultural heritage

Affected area has been used mostly for pastures until now and no monuments of cultural heritage were

identified in any public database. Therefore, no impact on cultural heritage is expected.

Waste

Waste during the construction can be divided into 3 main categories accordingly to the type of works:

- the waste from the reconstructed road (surface, layers, old culverts etc.)

- the waste generated in relation to the new road and objects (blasting, tunnel boring – excavated

rock, building site, material loss, felling of trees, vegetation, etc.)

- other waste – municipal waste from building site facilities

The existing asphalt surface of the existing road may be broken up and re-used in the lower layers of the

new pavement to avoid unnecessary disposal of this material. Similarly, the excavated rock will be re-

used on site after confirming by testing that it meets the adequate limits for the selected characteristics.

The testing will as well confirm and classify the material to the waste type in compliance with the

catalogue waste. It is expected that no soil newly acquired or rock will be concluded as contaminated

due to the character of the area. For all waste the current landfills will be used, except the rock waste

which will be disposed in new landfill and for other purposes specified by the local municipalities.

Impacts associated with operation

Climate factors and air quality

No significant impacts on climate factors are expected.

The major impact on the air quality will be caused by the emissions generated from fuel combustion in

vehicles approaching and passing through the affected area and tunnel. The emissions in tunnel will be

collected by the ventilation system and shafts.

The estimated traffic flows based on information received from EBRD (comprising local and diverted

traffic) between Lubnice and Jezerine are predicted to grow as follows:

558 AADT in 2016

613 AADT in 2020

727 AADT in 2025

873 AADT in 2030

This impact is assessed and expected as minor due to the expected traffic volumes and the fleet type

according to the purpose of the road use (individual cars, caravans, minimal number of trucks). Even the

road will be re-classified from local to regional road, the expected increase of the traffic volumes will

not cause exceeding of the limits.

Noise pollution

Increase of traffic is associated with increase of noise pollution. This might have negative impact on local

inhabitants and wildlife. Due to the expected traffic volume the exceeding of the noise pollution limits

is not expected. The traffic volumes will increase seasonally according to the targets of the journeys –

the ski area Kolasin (increase in winter season), golf resort Jelovica (after implementing the project,

increase in spring – autumn season).

Public health

Negative impacts on public health during operation phase are mostly associated with air and noise

pollution. As stated above those impacts are expected minor and mostly seasonal. Another negative

impact is associated with the risk of accidents which can increase due to the increased traffic volumes.

Widened road and introduction of the tunnel and bridge will positively impact the road safety.

Geology

No negative impacts are assumed during the operation stage. The stability of the rock slopes has to be

regularly checked along the road and within the tunnel and portals.

Soil, land-take and land-use

The Project itself will acquire permanent land acquisition of different land use areas. The permanent

land-take will be already used during the construction period for the construction/work site to minimize

the impacts caused by the temporary land occupation and decrease the risk of damages. During the

operation, there will not be more land acquired. The only potential risk will be connected with the risk

of accidents and therefore contamination of land, this will be reduced by implementing the emergency

plan.

The land – use will be permanently changed accordingly to the type of culture within permanent land

acquisition in compliance with the spatial plans. The land-use of the accessible area along the road will

not be changed but the implementation of the project will contribute to the area development in the

future thanks to the better accessibility. The positive effect lies in the better accessibility to the current

land and other private and public facilities (hotels, pastures, etc.) in the operation period.

Hydrogeology and hydrology

The road proposal encroaches the same water courses as the existing road plus improves the technical

solution. The concrete culverts are proposed approx. every 500 m or more often if the terrain and local

conditions require in order to provide the drainage of the water courses or the road drainage, except

the culverts, 2 small bridges are proposed. If the road axis and the width come too close to the slopes

of the river Jelovica, additional lining walls are added. The culverts are proposed with the bigger capacity

comparing to the existing state. The retaining walls as well as the road construction (tunnel as well)

propose system of weeping/drainage holes to let pass the natural flows of the groundwater and surface

water.

In the sections Lubnice – Jelovica and Jelovica where the road is reconstructed, no significant impacts

on the river Jelovica are assumed.

More detailed solution of the drainage system is proposed on the Jezerine side because of the sanitary

protection zone. In the section Klisura and Jezerine, sanitary protection zone of the city of Kolašin might

be influenced (Main designer obtained the requirement from the Water Protection Authority Kolasin to

elaborate detailed analysis and incorporate the adequate technical solution to protect the water

source). The majority of the Project is a reconstruction of the existing road, even some parts of the

existing road is unpaved, there is not expected any significant increase runoff from the road sections

during operation. No significant impact on watercourses will occur from structures such as bridges and

culverts at road crossing points. The road design reflects all encroached water courses (10 in full length).

Other potential impacts to the groundwater as well as to surface water are connected only with the risk

of accidents. Those will be reduced by implementing the OESMMP and standard emergency planning.

Concerning the sanitary protection zone Mušovica Rijeka, the potential impact on the water source and

therefore the protection conditions are concluded to be met because: the drainage system of the whole

tunnel leads to the side of Berane which means the quality of water cannot be influenced from the

tunnel, the watershed of the Mušovica Rijeka – due to the size of the area and comparison of the drained

area is assessed as rather small or minimal. The drainage system of the bridge and route of the section

Jezerine was computed and analysed in higher detail than the rest of the project and the “closed” system

of the drainage was proposed. This drainage system is characterized by 2 different proposed systems:

the atmospheric deposition from the slopes is drained as clean system via culverts to the recipients, the

drainage system of the road is discharged to the recipients via higher number of separators than

standard requirements – 6 separators proposed.

Potential impacts on the springs, wells, drinking water supplies during operation are similar to those

during the construction.

The designer – geological specialist provided brief summary of the possible impacts on hydrogeology.

From this summary, it is apparent that the groundwater level will not be likely affected, in case of the

tunnel nivelete cutting the contact zones, the likely local springs can be affected (it will not influence the

local supply in large scale but it might influence the individuals who would be supplied by the influenced

spring, accordingly to the individual households it is not likely to happen). The hydrogeological system

supplying the hydrology of the NP Biogradska Gora will not be influenced because of the terrain and

therefore influenced watersheds.

Ecosystems

The potential negative impacts on the ecosystems can occur as a result of the higher traffic flows and

therefore permanent increase of the nuisance of the adjacent wildlife and higher risk of the animal

collisions. The Main Design itself already includes the permanent fencing and embankments around the

tunnel portals (transport as well as the evacuation tunnel) for the health and safety security which will

prevent the risk of animals entering the tunnel and causing any serious accidents.

Landscape

The road construction together with the objects will cause local impacts on the landscape

characteristics, especially the bridge and portals. The reconstructed sections will not cause any adverse

impact as the alignment already exists so there will not be created any new line barrier nevertheless due

to the expected increase of the traffic flow and regional category of the road, this line / fragmentation

effect will increase. It is not expected that the traffic flow will cause any significant problems in crossing

and passability through the landscape. More visible impacts are associated with the section Klisura – the

tunnel and the bridge. From the eastern side of the hill, where landscape is more valuable and the views

are more open, the portal of the tunnel will be hidden in forest so it should be visible only from close

distance. On the western side in the direction to Jezerine views aren´t so open because of the broken

topography and the forests. Bridge will be visible from bigger distance. This side of the hill is more visibly

used by the residents and visitors of the area (ski centre) so the impact on the visual characteristics of

the landscape shouldn´t be significant. The bridge is expected to be part of the urbanistic system of the

ski centres.

The impact of the new bridge on the side of Jezerine will cause slightly negative change in the landscape

natural characteristic with local impact. The relief which will be crossed by the bridge is situated in a

very narrow valley which creates local closed scenery and the bridge is leaned on the background high

mountain of Bjelasica leading towards the Vranjak pasture. Therefore, the impact is local, minimal.

Similar impact of a local character will cause the portals which in real will be visually hidden in the

surrounding forests, groups of trees. The portals will be fenced even during operation period for security

reasons.

Social impacts

The road itself will generate predominantly positive impacts on the local and regional community:

Direct positive impacts

the increased security of the individual transport (EU standards, gallery etc.),

an alternative route connection of a regional category Kolašin-Berane during the whole year

an alternative and supportive connection to the highway

better accessibility for the land owners, land users, settlement residents, business owners,

tourists

Indirect positive/negative impacts

enable the local development due to the area accessibility which will result in the development

of the local economic activities, implementing the proposals of the spatial planning documents

increase the potential of job employment in the region

decrease of the migration from the rural area

development of tourism, etc.

Direct negative impacts are caused by the increase of traffic flow which will result in:

increase of the noise and air emissions and emission pollution (connected with public health

impact)

increased nuisance of the local inhabitants

Economic impacts

The affected area has limited economic activity. Nevertheless, this situation will be changed to some

degree by the proposed development of the area which is embedded and was publicly negotiated in the

spatial plans of the region Bjelasica i Komovi, NP Biogradska Gora and local spatial plans of Kolašin,

Berane and Andrejevica. All these plans incorporate the future development of this area as a touristic

region with the connection to valuable nature conservation area of NP Biogradska Gora and the natural

potential for touristic development – in Kolašin focused on ski tourism by implementing the urbanistic

plan of ski resort Kolašin 1450, ski resort Kolašin 1600 and ski&golf resort Jelovica which should

apparently serve the tourists for both winter and spring-autumn season. Due to this development, the

affected area need to prove better access as stated and adopted in all spatial plans together with spatial

plan NP Biogradska Gora which propose better promotion of the NP in connection with the adequate

types of tourism to increase even within its borders (“soft” and environmentally friendly activities –

cycling routes, hiking, environmental education etc.).

Positive economic impacts on the local business (hotels, katuns etc.) are assumed due to better

accessibility to the private properties from both sides of the regional town – Berane and as well Kolašin.

The road will be passable for the whole year. Another positive benefit is the expected time savings across

due to the better connection. The only negative impact can be in loss of tourists or change in the target

groups for the current local businesses as the traffic flow will increase and indirectly in long-term the

area will be dense by tourists therefore the nature / character of the comfort will be changed.

Cultural heritage

No negative impacts on cultural heritage are expected or likely to occur during the operation period.

Waste

Types and volumes of materials used and waste generated during operation of the project are expected

to be small. Occasional hazardous wastes may arise from maintenance operations, clearance of drainage

sumps, separators and clean up of accidental spills. All waste will be managed in accordance with legal

requirements. No significant impact is predicted to arise from resource use or waste disposal during

operation.

6 Short summary of proposed mitigation measures

and monitoring plan

On the basis of proposed mitigation measures that are part of ESAP detailed monitoring plan was

elaborated. Environmental and social monitoring plan is divided into two sections – during construction

and operation phase.

Monitoring during the construction phase will cover following measures:

- Dust control

- Good technical condition of machinery

- Protective equipment and clothing

- Sufficient noise protection measures

- First aid facilities

- Safety precautions and responsibilities

- Visible signs

- Fencing of the workers and main technology site

- Slopes stability assurance

- Suitable location for temporary deposit

- Separators in the tunnel drainage system

- Water Management Authority measures

- Secure storage of hazardous materials

- Plans of storage sites location

- Prevention of oil and fuel leakages

- Properly managed and equipped worksites

- Sanitation arrangements ensuring that no raw sewage is released into drains or watercourses

- Silt/oil traps installation

- Safe storage of rainwater

- Security 2 layers basins and protected storage tub for fuel and oil tank storage

- Clearing of vegetation and felling of trees during dormancy

- Suitable sites for storage of material

- Revitalization of the worksites

- Accessible information about the limitation of access to the road

- Preference of local workforce

- Transparency of recruitment

- Training programs on safety precautions and emergency procedures

- Operating rules on the construction sites

- Properly licensed and trained vehicle operators

- Regular safety checks of vehicles and material

Monitoring during the operation phase will cover following measures:

- Emergency plan

- Suitable and cost-efficient measures to increase the road safety

- Monitoring of traffic volumes

- Monitoring the impact of noise protection activities

- Water quality monitoring

- Economic monitoring (number of visitors and their contribution to local economy)

- Regular control of the tunnel safety measures