Serbia has authorized preparatory works on part of the planned €1.3 billion Vožd Karađorđe expressway, moving the project into an initial construction phase. The Construction Ministry issued Koridori Srbije a permit covering preparatory works along approximately 5.25 kilometres of the Mali Požarevac–Aranđelovac section. The approved works are valued at around €10.3 million before VAT and represent an initial implementation stage of the wider road programme.
Shandong agreements cover first 83 kilometres
Serbia signed design-and-build and pre-financing agreements with China’s Shandong in May for the first approximately 83 kilometres of the project. The broader contract is valued at around €1.3 billion and covers infrastructure intended to improve transport links between southern Belgrade, Šumadija and central Serbia.
The expressway is also planned to strengthen connections between Serbia’s main north-south and east-west transport corridors. The route is expected to improve connections around Aranđelovac, Topola and Mladenovac, as well as surrounding municipalities, potentially reducing freight and commuting times and improving access to industrial and logistics locations in northern Šumadija.
Links to major transport corridors
Vožd Karađorđe is planned to provide a stronger connection between the Miloš Veliki motorway and Serbia’s Corridor 10 transport axis. The connection could reduce reliance on routes through the Belgrade metropolitan area for some traffic and improve access between central Serbian locations and the country’s main transport network. The project is part of a broader Serbian infrastructure investment programme covering motorways, expressways, railways, energy infrastructure and municipal projects, alongside investments connected with the EXPO 2027 development programme.
Chinese contractors and financing structures
The involvement of Chinese companies places the project within Serbia’s wider use of Chinese contractors and financing arrangements in transport, mining and industrial infrastructure. Such structures have enabled projects to proceed outside conventional EU procurement and financing models while providing Serbia with additional access to capital and contractors. The expanding infrastructure programme also places greater importance on financing structures, sovereign exposure, cost escalation and the economic returns associated with completed projects. The initial 5.25-kilometre section represents only a small portion of the €1.3 billion Vožd Karađorđe programme, but the approval of preparatory works marks the transition from contractual commitments toward physical implementation.
