KOMARNA — The Peljesac Bridge in the south of Croatia, built by a Chinese consortium led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), has carried nearly 500,000 vehicles since its opening on July 26.

On average, over 15,500 vehicles cross the bridge each day. The peak reached 19,028 on July 30. On weekends, the usual traffic count is around 18,000 vehicles, Slavisa Babic, head of the Traffic Department at the Croatian Roads Ltd, told Xinhua in an interview on Aug 26. The traffic flow has been flawless, with no accident reported.

The bridge connects the Croatian mainland with the Peljesac peninsula, giving the country a continuous land link that bypasses Bosnian territory. It greatly facilitates the movement of goods and services within and across the country and gives a major boost to tourism bound for hotspots like Korcula or Dubrovnik in the south of the country.

"This is a dream come true for all Croatians," he said. "This is something that we have dreamed about for 300 years that we do not have to cross the border to get to the other part of our country. This is a great boost for our economy as well."

Vedran Antunica, mayor of Ston Municipality, told Xinhua that thanks to the new bridge the city's tourism revenues are expected to reach a record high this year as the city so far this year has already received about 10 times more tourists than the same period last year.

"I would like to thank the Chinese constructors. Many people here think that the bridge would have never been finished if it were not for the Chinese constructors," he said.

According to Qi Qianjin, Chinese ambassador to Croatia, the Peljesac Bridge is a product of cooperation, development and friendship between the two countries.

The opening of the bridge has greatly promoted local economic development, facilitated personnel and logistics exchanges, promoted the development of tourism, and benefited the people of Croatia, he noted, adding that the bridge has improved relations between China and Croatia and deepened the traditional friendship between the two peoples.