Last July, Montenegro opened one of the world's most ambitious highways. The 41-kilometer stretch of motorway, stretching from near the capital Podgorica towards Serbia, crosses some of the most difficult terrain in the Balkans – and with around 60 percent of the highway consisting of tunnels and bridges, it is said to be one of the world's most expensive roads.

But now, for a toll fee of $3.75, a previously perilous and arduous journey through the notoriously dangerous Morača canyon is now a quick flash along freshly paved asphalt – and the highway is widely seen as a crucial pathway for Montenegro's further development. 

This first stretch is a part of a 160-kilometer highway intended to connect Montenegro's port of Bar with Serbia, the country's main trading partner. Montenegro's highway network is very limited but the government wants to expand it, not least due to the way this first stretch, financed by the Chinese EXIM Bank and built by the Chinese CRBC, has already brought many benefits to the region.

Goran Janković is a commander in Podgorica's Protection and Rescue Service. He lives some 30 kilometers north of the capital, in a village where his family owns a small tourist farm. He's delighted with his new commute.

"This highway totally changed my life and the lives of my family," he tells CGTN. "From the city rush, we moved to a country-style life, and it was more than the right decision. And we already had the first tourists last year, who came to the village just because the highway was opened."

Before that, it took Janković over an hour to drive to work on the dangerous roads of the Morača canyon; now, his commute is 20 minutes on a comfortable and most importantly, much safer road. His job is a lot easier too.

"So far, we have had between 1,500 and 1,700 casualties on the old road through the Morača canyon," he says. "Now, since this highway is actively used, we have had some accidents, but they are incomparable with the numbers from the old road."

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The infamous canyon road is bypassed by this feat of engineering. It starts at 63 meters above sea level, rising to 1,000 meters above sea level via a series of 20 bridges and 16 tunnels, all built by 3,000 Chinese and local workers. 

The highway takes drivers through some of the most challenging terrains on Earth – but also offers stunning views. That difficult construction was just the beginning of this project, which officials say is of vital importance for Montenegro. And the government is already considering the next step. But global financial considerations make future projects more difficult.

"It is evident now that because of the state of the public finances, and the turbulent events on the financial market, a model of financing this highway from our budget is almost impossible," explained Montenegro's Finance Minister Aleksandar Damjanović. "So, we are open for the public-private partnership or other concession models."

The costs of the remaining sections of the highway might be too heavy for Montenegro, but continuing to improve the road system would be popular with people like Janković who says the new highway has already changed lives – for the better.

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