The tender for 4.9 kilometres of island road has been running since January. Twelve corrections and a new deadline are confirmed, but the reason the procedure has taken so long remains unclear.
The tender is open, but the road is not yet a construction site
Hrvatske ceste is still seeking a contractor to reconstruct the DC117 between the Rukavac junction and Vis. On 7 September, the official EOJN procurement portal listed the open procedure as published, with bids due by 12 noon on 17 September 2026.
No construction company has therefore been selected and no contract has been signed. The tender alone creates no new closure, diversion or roadworks warning for travellers. The dependable current event is procurement, not the start of construction.
Twelve corrections say a lot, but do not explain everything
Since the first notice on 5 January, twelve corrections have appeared in the portal. They were published between late January and 1 September. Each gives essentially the same reason: responses to requests were still being prepared.
This confirms an unusually long sequence of changes. It does not reveal the technical, legal or pricing questions behind them, who raised them or who is responsible for the duration. The cause remains open and must not be invented from the standard wording.
4.9 kilometres between Rukavac and Vis
The tendered section begins at the junction for the settlement and bay of Rukavac and ends above the town of Vis at the connection with county road ŽC67212. The estimated contract value is €6.2 million excluding VAT.
The documents cover more than a new layer of asphalt. They mention the carriageway and road geometry, drainage, slopes, traffic signs and safety equipment. The current document review also lists a roundabout, stops, pedestrian areas and a viewpoint or rest area.
The project dates back to 2018
The transport ministry announced the renewal of this section in October 2018. At the time, construction was due to follow the 2019 tourist season and the estimate was 29 million kuna excluding VAT. That timetable was plainly not met.
The two figures still do not provide a sound calculation of cost escalation. Years have passed, price levels have changed and the precise scope may now be packaged differently. The old announcement shows the project’s long history, not automatically the damage caused by delay.
The 400 days do not start with the tender
EOJN gives a duration of 400 days for the construction work. That number is neither a countdown from January nor an announced opening date. It describes the intended performance period of a future contract.
Before it can begin, bids must be submitted, checked and evaluated. An award decision and an effective contract are required; depending on the procedure, appeals or other conditions may also intervene. Only then can a dependable construction period be identified.
Nothing changes for driving on Vis for now
The DC117 remains the central road link between Komiža and Vis. Anyone currently travelling along the section near Rukavac should not derive a new traffic rule from the procurement process. A published bill of quantities is not a road sign.
The project becomes practically relevant once Hrvatske ceste awards a contract and then publishes dates, construction phases or traffic management. Island residents, buses, deliveries and visitors can plan concretely at that point. It has not yet been reached.
The next verifiable date is 17 September
At the end of the current bid period, it will become clear whether the procedure moves to bid opening and evaluation or is changed again. Even an opened bid is not yet an award or a construction start.
Golden Beach is therefore watching the stages that follow: bid opening, selection decision, contract and only then a published construction and traffic plan. Until that point, the accurate headline remains restrained: Vis is still waiting for the construction contract.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Rekonstrukcija državne ceste DC117, Odvojak za Rukavac–VisElektronički oglasnik javne nabave RH · procedure running since 5 January 2026, checked 7 September 2026subject, length, estimated value, status, bid deadline, performance period and twelve corrections
- Vlada RH: Usvojen Zaključak za Projekt obnove državne ceste DC117Croatian Ministry of Transport · 26 October 2018project section, scope at the time, cost estimate and historical timetable
- Hrvatske ceste zapele na rekonstrukciji ključne otočke prometniceBauštela · 6 September 2026secondary analysis of the current scope and context for the long-running tender
