Huge traffic jams have completely paralyse life in the municipality of Konavle, located in the far south of Croatia. The line of vehicles stretched from the settlement of Čilip to the border crossing with Montenegro at Karasovići, and its length was ten kilometres. Local roads became blocked as residents could no longer go to work, and the situation escalated as the traffic jams spread to the nearby border crossing of Vitina, according to data from Google Maps.
The problem on the roads began on Saturday evening, and although traffic is on a downward trend, the consequences are still visible. Media reports that some passengers in the queue spent 28 hours waiting for the border crossing. The mayor of the municipality of Konavle, Božo Lasić, pointed out that the previous year was peaceful, which gave many western passengers the wrong impression that there would be no problems with the border crossing, but the current situation has changed this picture.
Lasić said that the previous peaceful year was the reason why many people underestimated the potential delays. The mayor admitted that he had not closed his eyes all night due to the situation. The infrastructure on the D8, known as the Adriatic Highway, is particularly concerned, as it is atypical for the border crossing at Karasovići, where traffic is moving in only one lane in both directions, which further slows down the flow of vehicles.
In an attempt to mitigate the consequences, the police at Zvekovica are diverting vehicles with foreign registration to a road that passes through the villages of Konavle. However, the mayor of the municipality of Konavle, Božidar Lasić, warned that in the event of a fire, a general catastrophe would ensue, given the density of traffic and the limited possibilities for evacuation. In order to coordinate the measures in the event of a crisis, the civil protection staff was activated.
