Road infrastructure accounts for the largest share of Serbia’s broader investment programme associated with Expo 2027, with planned spending of €7.734 billion across motorways, express roads, bridges, tunnels and related infrastructure. The road allocation is more than six times the €1.206 billion earmarked directly for Expo. The investment programme therefore extends well beyond construction connected specifically with the exhibition, with most planned spending directed toward transport infrastructure.
The projects are structured across multiple years, extending the construction programme substantially beyond the Expo event itself.
Road Spending Extends Beyond 2027
Approximately €4.19 billion of road investment is allocated to the period before 2026. Planned expenditure then amounts to €854 million in 2026, €557 million in 2027, €595 million in 2028 and €419 million in 2029.
A further €1.12 billion is planned for the period after 2029.
The investment schedule means that Expo 2027 serves as a political and implementation deadline for part of the road programme, while a significant volume of construction spending is scheduled to continue after the exhibition.
More than €1 billion of planned road expenditure remains beyond 2029, providing a multi-year pipeline for transport construction after the Expo period.
Infrastructure Spending Supports Construction Activity
The scale of the road programme is contributing to the recovery of Serbia’s construction sector following a contraction of more than 5% in 2025.
Road construction creates demand across a broad industrial supply chain, including civil engineering, cement, aggregates, steel, bridge and tunnel construction, traffic-management systems, electrical equipment and maintenance services.
Completed road projects can also reduce logistics costs, strengthen industrial connections and expand labour-market catchment areas. The central-bank report does not provide economic-return estimates for individual projects.
Construction Costs Put Pressure on Budgets
The immediate financial pressure on the programme is coming from higher construction input costs. Prices for construction materials and components increased 10.8% year on year, raising the cost of delivering infrastructure projects.
If investment allocations remain unchanged while construction inputs continue to become more expensive, the same nominal budgets may finance a smaller volume of physical infrastructure.
The multi-year road pipeline nevertheless extends well beyond the Expo timetable, with substantial spending scheduled after 2029 and transport construction remaining an important component of Serbia’s investment programme.
