The Acting Director of the Public Enterprise "Autoputevi Republike Srpske," Radovan Višković, welcomed the decision of the competent authorities at the level of joint BiH institutions to temporarily open the new border crossing in Čatrnja near Gradiška. At the same time, he expressed hope that this "temporary" solution would become permanent, despite what he described as the unreasonable opposition of Bosniak politicians.

Director Višković stated he was not surprised by yet another refusal from the so-called expert on the Governing Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH to give consent to the amendments of the ITA internal regulations—amendments that would create the conditions for the final opening of the new crossing and the commissioning of the bridge over the Sava River. However, he admitted he expected exactly this kind of reaction from the competent authorities, which, at least temporarily, put an end to the obstructions from official Sarajevo regarding the activation of this border crossing.

"It is incomprehensible that someone, following the collapse of a section of the interstate bridge in Gradiška and the closure of the international border crossing, takes it upon themselves to continue insisting on something that at this moment has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of crucial importance for everyone—which is the commissioning of the new border crossing and the bridge over the Sava," Višković stated. He questioned whether the so-called "expert" would have consented to the rulebook amendments had someone lost their life while crossing the border at the old bridge in Gradiška.

Director Višković emphasized that the final opening of the bridge over the Sava River to traffic is of exceptional importance for PE "Autoputevi Republike Srpske" because, after years of waiting, the highway network constructed so far is finally connected to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). According to Director Višković, this will bring immense relief to traffic flow, reduce congestion at the border crossing, and significantly impact the transport of goods and people.

For the company itself, Director Višković further emphasized, this decision holds particular importance as it fully puts into function the section of the E 661 Gradiška – Banja Luka highway from the new bridge onward toward Banja Luka, which had until now been out of use for well-known reasons. "Shifting" traffic from the old to the new border crossing will also significantly increase the company's revenue from toll collection.

The significance of this route is already clear from the initial data on the number of vehicles that passed through the "Čatrnja" Toll Station toward Banja Luka following the opening of the new border crossing. Namely, within the first few hours, the entry of nearly a thousand vehicles onto the highway from the direction of the new bridge toward Banja Luka was recorded.

"The Gradiška border crossing is among the busiest international crossings in northern BiH, and according to study documents completed before the construction of the Gradiška – Banja Luka highway began, estimates indicated that around 20,000 vehicles would use this route daily. I hope we will exceed those estimates very soon, because thanks to the new bridge over the Sava, a direct highway connection has been enabled from Banja Luka or Doboj to any city in Europe," Višković concluded.