The bridge on "Ljubljanska" street in Karposh should be open to traffic by the end of this year. That is what Skopje Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski announced while inspecting the construction site together with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Karposh Mayor Sotir Lukrovski.

The new route is meant to connect "Ljubljanska" and "Skupi" and open a traffic corridor towards Zlokukjani, Bardovci, the Industrial Zone and the ring road, taking pressure off the "Partizanski odredi" and "Ilindenska" boulevards. The carriageway is 12 metres wide, with four lanes, two in each direction, over an area of 5,350 square metres. Pedestrian and bicycle paths, each two metres wide, are planned on both sides. So far, retaining walls using 2,050 cubic metres of concrete and 473 metres of storm drainage have been built, and the section will get 40 street lights.

Construction stood still for years because it needed an opinion and a permit from the Conservation Centre protecting the archaeological site of Skupi. Gjorgjievski says the permit has now been secured, and he has a clear culprit for the delay: "the permit that my predecessors blocked". "Skopje has waited too long," he said.

In parallel, the City is announcing a 70,000-square-metre park in Karposh and a clean-up of the Vardar quay.

Skopje residents really have waited too long - on that the mayor is right. But how many times have we heard "by the end of the year" for projects in this city? If the bridge is working by December 31, that will be news. If not, will there be yet another predecessor to blame?