Serbia has opened procurement for the final 3.6-kilometre section of the Zrenjanin bypass, with the RSD 1.25 billion (€10.6 million) project designed to connect the existing bypass with the Jugoistok industrial zone. The works include a bridge over the Aleksandrovački canal, an overpass crossing the Pančevo-Zrenjanin railway and two new roundabouts.
Once the section is completed, the entire bypass will measure approximately 14.5 kilometres, providing a route for a greater share of heavy transit traffic around central Zrenjanin. Bids are due in late October, while the maximum construction period is approximately 320 days.
Road connection strengthens industrial access
The project provides a direct road connection between the bypass and the Jugoistok industrial zone, where manufacturing activity relies heavily on road transport. Zrenjanin is positioned between Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kikinda and the Romanian border, while industrial production, agriculture and regional transit generate significant freight movements through the city. The completed bypass is intended to separate more heavy transit traffic from local urban traffic and improve road access to industrial areas.
Regional links support freight movements
The investment forms part of a broader infrastructure requirement around Serbia’s national transport network, where regional and local connections provide access between industrial sites and major transport corridors. For manufacturers, logistics costs can depend on conditions beyond the main highway network, including the distance between factories and major roads, truck restrictions, congestion and route reliability.
The connection to Jugoistok therefore links the industrial zone more directly with the wider road network without establishing a new national transport corridor. Zrenjanin’s location also gives the project relevance to freight movements between Vojvodina, the Romanian market and wider Central European transport networks.
Bypass works include railway and canal structures
Although the road section covers only about 3.6 kilometres, construction involves several structures, including the canal bridge and railway overpass. The railway crossing adds an additional infrastructure interface to the road works, alongside the two planned roundabouts. The project will complete the remaining section required for the approximately 14.5-kilometre Zrenjanin bypass.
Smaller road projects expand public works pipeline
The procurement adds a regional bypass project to Serbia’s broader transport investment programme, alongside larger infrastructure developments involving national corridors. Bypasses, regional roads, bridges and industrial-zone connections represent a separate category of public works, with projects distributed across different locations and involving different technical requirements.
The Zrenjanin section combines road construction with canal and railway structures and has a planned maximum execution period of 320 days.
Freight infrastructure links industrial sites with transport corridors
The final bypass section is designed to improve the movement of heavy vehicles around Zrenjanin while providing direct access to the Jugoistok industrial zone. The completed route will form a 14.5-kilometre bypass, reducing the need for a larger share of transit traffic to pass through the city’s central area and connecting industrial freight movements more directly with regional road routes.
