The damaged old Sava bridge remains closed. The route towards Gradiška and Banja Luka is open via Gornji Varoš–Gradiška Novi Most. The crucial point is to direct your satnav to the new crossing.
The route is open – but not across the old bridge
Anyone reading only ‘Stara Gradiška closed’ in a traffic report can easily assume that the entire connection towards Gradiška and Banja Luka has been interrupted. That is not true. Because of damage to the old bridge structure across the Sava, the former Stara Gradiška–Gradiška border crossing is closed in both directions to vehicles and pedestrians. Traffic is instead using the new Gornji Varoš–Gradiška Novi Most crossing.
The Croatian Automobile Club HAK expressly listed the new crossing as open at 09.41 on 19 August 2026. This timestamp matters: border status and waiting times are dynamic. The article therefore describes the documented position on that day and shows how travellers can distinguish the two crossings, rather than promising indefinite opening or a particular waiting time.
Two bridges, two destinations in the navigation system
The old connection lies at Stara Gradiška and leads directly across the former bridge into the town of Gradiška. That is precisely where the crossing is interrupted. The new connection lies further downstream on the new motorway corridor. On the Croatian side, the border crossing is called Gornji Varoš; on the Bosnia and Herzegovina side, it is Gradiška Novi Most. Both names may appear in maps and traffic apps.
Before departure, the route destination should therefore not simply be ‘Gradiška’. Open the complete route and check whether it uses Gornji Varoš or the new Sava or motorway bridge corridor. If the satnav still shows the old bridge at Stara Gradiška, change the destination to the new border crossing. A few seconds spent checking the map prevent an unnecessary drive to the closure.
What the authorities say about the closure
The Brod-Posavina Police Directorate closed the old crossing on 19 May 2026 because of damage to the bridge structure, until further notice. The official notice covers both directions and expressly includes pedestrians. Traffic is already diverted on the Croatian side; police specify the area of the Okučani motorway junction.
This is therefore not an ordinary brief roadworks arrangement that can be passed at the edge. Attempting to walk across the old bridge or find an improvised local detour is not an alternative either. Until the authorities announce a reopening, the old bridge has no place in journey planning. Current HAK and police information remains decisive, not an older map view.
Why the new crossing initially operated only provisionally
When the old bridge failed, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Indirect Taxation Authority temporarily moved its border service to the new location on 19 May. The decision in force at the time was limited until repairs were completed, or no later than 19 August 2026 at 19 o’clock. That is exactly why the status on this day needs particular explanation: an old administrative decision had an end date while the crossing remained open during the morning.
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have since signed a new agreement on their border crossings. Both governments expressly stated that the current arrangement at Gradiška would continue; the agreement lists both the old connection and Gornji Varoš–Gradiška Novi Most. This creates a political and treaty basis. At the time of our check, however, a specifically published follow-on document from the Bosnia and Herzegovina authority addressing the old 19 o’clock deadline could still not be found.
What this means for a journey on 19 August
The situation during the morning is clearly documented: HAK listed the old bridge as closed and the new crossing as open. This means neither that the barriers automatically fall at 19 o’clock nor that the crossing continues indefinitely without further formalities. Both would be speculation. Anyone travelling during the evening or later should reload the current traffic status before departure.
Golden Beach will update this article as soon as reliable new operational or administrative information is available. Until then, the practical rule is: head for the new crossing, check the live status and do not adopt an opening time from older reports. Where information conflicts, a current official traffic or border notice takes priority over saved routes, blog posts and social-media comments.
The border remains a Schengen external border
The new location does not change the applicable documents and border procedures. Croatia belongs to the Schengen Area; Bosnia and Herzegovina does not. Travellers therefore need a travel document valid for their nationality and residence status. EU citizens are not registered in the Entry/Exit System, EES; third-country travellers covered by the system must expect biometric enrolment and use the appropriate lane.
The route therefore answers only ‘where do I cross?’, not ‘which procedure applies to me?’. Mixed groups should establish before departure which personal status applies to each member. Golden Beach explains the exemptions and lanes in its separate EES article. HAK provides no reliable blanket duration for the crossing itself – waiting times can vary greatly by day and traffic volume.
How to prepare your satnav
Set ‘Gornji Varoš border crossing’ or ‘Gradiška Novi Most’ as an intermediate destination, then zoom in on the Sava. The route must use the new bridge, not the old urban connection. Download the map of the border area for offline use in case the mobile data connection changes, and bookmark the current HAK page. If you are heading to accommodation or a meeting point in Gradiška, add it as a further destination only after the border crossing.
The intermediate-destination method is especially important when a navigation service updates closure data late or favours a supposedly shorter route. Do not rely on the satnav’s estimated border time either. Camera and queue data may be missing or look different a few minutes later. Build in a margin, but do not turn a single snapshot into a fixed journey time.
The five-minute check before departure
First open HAK’s traffic report and search for ‘Stara Gradiška’ and ‘Gornji Varoš’. Then check on the map that the route follows the new bridge corridor. Verify the travel documents for everyone in the vehicle and, for non-EU citizens, check their EES status. Only after that does an arrival time shown by the satnav become useful.
Near the border, signs remain more important than an old instruction on the display. Follow directions to the open border crossing and do not turn into closed approaches. If HAK or the border authority changes the status, use an officially stated alternative. Without such a notice, Golden Beach does not recommend improvised side routes via small crossings or crossings approved only for particular groups of people.
What may happen next
Three changes are relevant to travellers: formal permanent continuation of operations at the new location, a temporary status change during the administrative transition, or the eventual reopening of the old bridge. Each change may affect navigation, permitted types of traffic and signs. The new border agreement alone therefore does not replace a current live check.
Until a new official situation is announced, the simple summary remains: Stara Gradiška is closed as the old crossing; travel towards Gradiška and Banja Luka goes via Gornji Varoš–Gradiška Novi Most. Anyone who knows these two names can interpret the potentially misleading closure notice correctly – and avoid confusing an open travel route with a closed bridge.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Current traffic situation and border crossingsHrvatski autoklub (HAK) · 19 August 2026, checked at 09.41Closure of Stara Gradiška, open Gornji Varoš crossing and dynamic traffic status
- Traffic suspended until further notice – Stara Gradiška border crossingBrod-Posavina Police Directorate · 19 May 2026Closure of the old bridge to vehicles and pedestrians, and diversion
- Passenger and goods traffic via Gornji VarošBrod-Posavina Police Directorate · 20 May 2026Opening of the new crossing on 19 May
- Gradiška border crossing began operating at the new locationIndirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina · 20 May 2026Temporary relocation of the customs office and original limit until 19 August at 19 o’clock
- Continuation of the border-crossing arrangement at Gradiška agreedGovernment of the Republic of Croatia · 8 June 2026Signature of the new border-crossing agreement and political commitment to continuation
- Agreement on border crossings between Bosnia and Herzegovina and CroatiaCouncil of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina · 8 June 2026Official Bosnia and Herzegovina description of the new agreement and the two Gradiška crossings
